In December 2024, YouTube TV again hiked its rates, this time to $83 a month, an increase of around $50 since the service’s debut in 2017. It’s just the latest live TV streaming service to raise prices — Hulu+ Live TV jumped to $82 in August of 2024 and FuboTV’s cheapest tier climbed to $80 back in January. Even in the $80-range, these are still cheaper than cable in many markets, but the gap is steadily narrowing — and at least you don’t need a contract or any special equipment like you do with cable.

Other distinctions that once separated broadcast, streaming and cable TV are disappearing too, with standard streaming platforms offering linear channels and live programming, and free ad-supported streaming (FAST) services like Plex and Pluto echoing broadcast TV from way back when. It’s no surprise cord-cutters might want a little help making sense of it all, so we tried all the major services out there, judging each one in terms of content, user experience, live sports and news offerings and, of course, price so you can find the best live TV streaming service for you.

Table of contents

• Best live TV streaming services for 2025

• Best free live TV streaming services for 2025

• What to look for in a live TV streaming service

• How we tested

• Live TV Streaming FAQs

• Recent updates

Best live TV streaming services for 2025

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Best free live TV streaming services for 2025

There are plenty of ways to get free TV these days. To start, many standard streaming apps have added live components to their lineups. You’re paying for the service, so it’s not technically “free,” but you can get a dose of live TV without spending more than necessary. Peacock includes some regional NBC stations, and notably access to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Paramount+ subscribers can watch on-air CBS programming. The standard Hulu app has a live ABC news channel and Max now includes a live CNN outlet with its service, along with cable-like linear channels.

The smart TV operating system (OS) you use likely provides free live content too: Amazon’s Fire TV interface has a live tab and Roku’s built-in Roku Channel includes hundreds of live channels at no extra cost. The same goes for Samsung TV Plus, which added a trove of K-dramas to its free live and on-demand lineup in 2024. The PBS app offers local live streams of its channels — even NASA has a free streaming service with live coverage.

But for a full suite of live TV networks, and don’t want to sign up for any paid service, there are a number of free ad-supported TV services that have live TV. Even cable company DirecTV has joined the crowd with MyFree, though we haven’t had a chance to test that one yet. Here's the best of what we tried:

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What to look for in a live TV streaming service

How to stream live TV

Streaming live TV is a lot like using Netflix. You get access through apps on your phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device and the signal arrives over the internet. A faster and more stable connection tends to give you a better experience. Most live TV apps require you to sign up and pay via a web browser. After that, you can activate the app on all of your devices.

Monthly Price

When I started testing these cord-cutting alternatives, I was struck by the price difference between live TV and a standard video streaming app. Where the latter cost between $5 and $20 per month, most live TV services hit the $80 mark and can go higher than $200 with additional perks, channel packages and premium extras. The higher starting price is mostly due to the cost of providing multiple networks — particularly sports and local stations. And, in the past year or so, every service except Sling has raised base plan prices.

Local channels

Only two of the services I tried don’t include full local channel coverage for subscribers and one of those makes no effort to carry sports at all. That would be Philo and, as you might guess, it’s the cheapest. The next most affordable option, Sling, only carries three local stations — and only in larger markets — but it still manages to include some of the top sports channels.

When you sign up with any provider that handles local TV, you’ll enter your zip code, ensuring you get your area’s broadcast affiliates for ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC. Of course, you can also get those stations for free. Nearly all modern television sets support a radio frequency (RF) connection, also known as the coaxial port, which means if you buy an HD antenna, you’ll receive locally broadcast stations like ABC, CBS, PBS, FOX and NBC. And since the signal is digital, reception is much improved over the staticky rabbit-ears era.

Live sports coverage

One reality that spun my head was the sheer number and iterations of sports networks in existence. Trying to figure out which network will carry the match-up you want to see can be tricky. I found that Google makes it a little easier for sports fans by listing out upcoming games (just swap in NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and so on in the search bar). When you click an event, the “TV & streaming” button will tell you which network is covering it.

That just leaves figuring out if your chosen service carries the RSNs (regional sports networks) you want. Unfortunately, even with add-ons and extra packages, some providers simply don’t have certain channels in their lineups. It would take a lawyer to understand the ins and outs of streaming rights negotiations, and networks leave and return to live TV carriers all the time. That said, most major sporting events in the US are covered by ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT, USA and local affiliates.

I should also point out that traditional streaming services have started adding live sports to their lineups. Peacock carries live Premier League matches, Sunday Night Football games and aired the 2024 Olympic Games from Paris. Thursday Night Football is on Amazon Prime and Christmas Day Football aired on Netflix. Max (formerly HBO Max) now airs select, regular season games from the NHL, MLB, NCAA and NBA with a $10-per-month add-on. You can watch MLS games with an add-on through the Apple TV app, and Apple TV+ includes some MLB games. If you subscribe to Paramount Plus, you can see many of the matches you’d see on CBS Sports, including live NFL games.

Roku just added a free sports channel to its lineup. And a new upcoming sports streaming service called Venu is a joint venture between ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery and will cost $43 per month. Even taken all together, these options may not cover as much ground as live TV streamers, but they could scratch a small sports itch without too much added cost.

Traditional cable networks

Dozens of linear programming networks were once only available with cable TV, like Bravo, BET, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Lifetime, SYFY and MTV. If you only subscribe to, say, Netflix or Apple TV+, you won’t have access to those. But as with sports, standard streamers are starting to incorporate this content into their offerings. After the Warner Bros. merger, Max incorporated some content from HGTV, Discovery and TLC. Peacock has Bravo and Hallmark shows, and Paramount+ has material from Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.

Other channels like AMC+ have stand-alone apps. The Discovery+ app gives you 15 channels ad-free for $9 per month (or with ads for $5 monthly). And a service called Frndly TV starts at a mere $7 per month and streams A&E, Lifetime, Game Show Network, Outdoor Channel and about 35 others. Of course, most live TV streaming options will deliver more sizable lists of cable networks, but just note that you may already be paying for some of them — and if all you need is a certain channel, you could get it cheaper by subscribing directly.

On-demand streaming

Most live TV subscriptions include access to a selection of video-on-demand (VOD) content, like you would get with a traditional streaming service. Much of this content is made up of the movies and TV series that have recently aired on your subscribed networks. This typically doesn’t cover live events and news programming, but I was able to watch specific episodes of ongoing shows like Top Chef or BET’s Diarra from Detroit. Just search the on-demand library for the program, pick an episode and hit play.

Partnerships, like Hulu’s relationship with Disney, and add-ons, such as bundling Max with your YouTube TV subscription or Starz with your Sling plan, will let you watch even larger libraries of on-demand content. But again, if VOD is all you’re after, paying for those networks directly instead of through a live TV plan will be far cheaper.

Digital video recordings (DVR) limits

Every option I tried offers some cloud DVR storage without needing a separate physical device. You’ll either get unlimited storage for recordings that expires after nine months or a year, or you’ll get a set number of hours (between 50 and 1,000) that you can keep indefinitely. Typically, all you need to do is designate what ongoing TV series you want to record and the DVR component will do all the hard work of saving subsequent episodes for you to watch later. You can do the same thing with sports events.

Aside from being able to watch whenever it’s most convenient, you can also fast-forward through commercials in recorded content. In contrast, you can’t skip them on live TV or VOD.

Simultaneous streams and profiles per account

Each plan gives you a certain number of simultaneous streams, aka how many screens can play content at the same time. And while most providers will let you travel with your subscription, there are usually location restrictions that require you to sign in from your home IP address periodically. Stream allowances range from one at a time to unlimited screens (or as many as your ISP’s bandwidth can handle). Some plans require add-ons to get more screens.

Most services also let you set up a few profiles so I was able to give different people in my family the ability to build their own watch histories and libraries, set their favorite channels and get individual recommendations.

Picture-in-picture mode and multiview

Picture-in-picture (PiP) usually refers to shrinking a video window on a mobile device or computer browser so you can watch it while using other apps. Sling, YouTube TV, FuboTV, Philo, DirecTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV all have PiP modes on computers and mobile devices. Another feature, multiview, lets you view multiple live sports games at once on your TV screen. YouTube TV and FuboTV are the only live TV streamers that let you do this. With YouTube TV, you can select up to four views from a few preset selection of streams. FuboTV offers the same feature, but only if you're using an Apple TV set top device.

4K live streams

Right now, just FuboTV, YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream offer 4K live streams — but with caveats. YouTube TV requires a $20-per-month add-on, after which you’ll only be able to watch certain live content in 4K. DirecTV Stream has three channels that show live 4K content — one with shows and original series, and two with occasional sporting events. You don’t have to pay extra for these but you do need to have either DirecTV’s Gemini receiver, or a device from Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku. You’ll need those same devices to watch the select 4K programming on Sling as well. FuboTV shows certain live events in 4K but access is limited to the Elite and Premier packages, not the base-level Pro plan.

Of course, watching any 4K content also requires equipment that can handle it: a 4K smart TV or 4K streaming device paired with a cord and screen that can handle 4K resolution.

Tiers, packages and add-ons

Comparing price-to-offering ratios is a task for a spreadsheet. I… made three. The base plans range from $28 to $80 per month. From there, you can add packages, which are usually groups of live TV channels bundled by themes like news, sports, entertainment or international content. Premium VOD extras like Max, AMC+ and Starz are also available. Add-ons cost an extra $5 to $20 each per month and simply show up in the guide where you find the rest of your live TV. This is where streaming can quickly get expensive, pushing an $80 subscription to $200 monthly, depending on what you choose.

How to stream live TV for free

I also downloaded and tried out a few apps that offer free ad-supported TV (FAST) including Freevee, Tubi, PlutoTV and Sling Freestream. These let you drop in and watch a more limited selection of live networks at zero cost. Most don’t even require an email address, let alone a credit card. And if you have a Roku device, an Amazon Fire TV or Stick, a Samsung TV, a Chromecast device or a Google TV, you already have access to hundreds of live channels via the Roku Channel, the live tab in Fire TV, through the Samsung TV Plus app or through Google TV.

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How we tested

When I begin testing for a guide, I research the most popular and well-reviewed players in the category and narrow down which are worth trying. For the paid plans, just six services dominate so I tried them all. There are considerably more free live TV contenders so I tested the four most popular. After getting accounts set up using my laptop, I downloaded the apps on a Samsung smart TV running the latest version of Tizen OS. I counted the local stations and regional sports coverage, and noted how many of the top cable networks were available. I then weighed the prices, base packages and available add-ons.

I then looked at how the programming was organized in each app’s UI and judged how easy everything was to navigate, from the top navigation to the settings. To test the search function, I searched for the same few TV shows on BET, Food Network, HGTV and Comedy Central, since all six providers carry those channels. I noted how helpful the searches were and how quickly they got me to season 6, episode 13 of Home Town.

I used DVR to record entire series and single movies and watched VOD shows, making sure to test the pause and scan functions. On each service with sports, I searched for the same four upcoming NHL, NBA, MLS and NCAA basketball matches and used the record option to save the games and play them back a day or two later. Finally, I noted any extra perks or irritating quirks.

All live TV streaming services we’ve tested:

• Philo

• Sling

• YouTube TV

• Hulu + Live TV

• DirecTV Stream

• FuboTV

• Freevee

• Tubi

• PlutoTV

• Sling Freestream

• Plex

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Live TV Streaming FAQs

What is live streaming?

Streaming simply refers to video content that is delivered to your screen over the internet. Live streaming can be split into two categories: linear programming and simultaneous transmission. That first one is similar to what you get with cable or broadcast TV, with channels that play a constant flow of movies and shows (sort of what TV looked like before Netflix). Simultaneous streaming lets you watch live events (like a basketball game) or a program (like the evening news) as they happen.

What is the difference between streaming and live streaming?

Standard streaming, the most popular example being Netflix, lets you pick what you want to watch from a menu of choices. It’s also referred to as “video on demand.” Live streaming refers to sports and news events that you can stream as they happen in real time. It also refers to channels that show a continuous, linear flow of programming.

What streaming service is best for live TV?

FuboTV does the best job of letting you organize live channels to help you find just what you want to watch. The interface is uncluttered and when you search for something, the UI clearly tells you whether something is live now or on-demand. YouTube TV also does a good job making that info clear. Both have just over 100 live channels on offer.

What is the most cost effective TV streaming service?

Free TV streaming services like PlutoTV, Plex, Tubi and FreeVee show plenty of ad-supported TV shows and movies without charging you anything. Of course, they won’t have the same channels or content that more premium subscriptions have. Ultimately it depends on what you want to watch and finding the service that can supply that to you in the most streamlined form so you’re not paying for stuff you don’t need.

Is it cheaper to have cable or streaming?

A basic cable package used to be more expensive than the base-level live TV streaming service. But now that nearly all major providers have raised their prices to over $75 per month, that’s no longer the case. And with add-ons and other premiums, you can easily pay over $200 a month for either cable or a live TV streaming service.

What streaming service has all the TV channels?

No service that we tested had every available channel. Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream carry the highest number of the top rated channels, according to Neilsen. Hulu’s service will also get you Disney+ fare, which you can’t get elsewhere. FuboTV has the most sports channels and YouTube TV gives you the widest selection of add-ons.

What is the most popular live TV streaming platform?

YouTube TV has the most paying customers. According to 2024's letter from the CEO, the service has over eight million subscribers. Disney’s 2024 third quarter earnings put the Hulu + Live TV viewer count at 4.6 million. Sling’s customer count dipped from two million to about 1.9 million in 2024 and FuboTV grew its subscriber list to 1.6 million.

How safe are free streaming services and websites?

You may have heard certain sites that provide free content can be dangerous, leading to stolen info and/or exposing you to malware. That’s likely in reference to certain peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and file-sharing sites that let people download free movies and series — which can come bundled with malicious code.

But if you’re talking about the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services listed here, from providers like PlutoTV, Tubi and Freevee, they are just as safe as any other streaming service. Since you sometimes don’t even have to provide your email address or credit card info, they can even be more anonymous than apps that require login credentials.

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Recent updates

December 31, 2024: Noted increased pricing for YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV and DirecTV. Updated information for 4K streaming capabilities and requirements for multiple services. Reported on the upcoming shut down of Amazon’s Freevee service and the addition of DirecTV’s free service.

August 6, 2024: Updated with the addition of Plex as a free live TV streaming recommendation and mentioned the additional free channels Philo is now including with the free version of its service. Added pricing information for ESPN's new sports-only streaming service, Venu. 

June 12, 2024: Updated with more information about 4K live streaming, picture-in-picture and multiview modes, as well as video on-demand options. We expanded our recommendations around free live TV streaming services and added a FAQ query about the safety of free streaming services and clarified the difference between standard and live streaming. More traditional streaming services have added live and sports components, so we revised that section accordingly.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/best-live-tv-streaming-service-133000410.html?src=rss

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When Apple put its new M4 chip in the iPad Pro before adding it to a MacBook, that was a pretty clear sign that tablets are more than just idle couch companions. But with just one or two ports, you’ll need a hub if you want to maximize that potential. The same goes for laptops: they can be more powerful than desktops, but they almost always have fewer ports. USB-C hubs give you some combo of extra USB, HDMI, memory card, Ethernet and/or 3.5 mm ports so you can connect peripherals like monitors or wired mice and keyboards. You can hook up external drives for more storage — some hubs even have memory card slots. We tested 15 different USB-C hubs to see how they perform and put the best of what we tested below.

What to look for in a USB-C hub

Hub vs docking station

The first thing to decide is whether you need a USB-C hub or a docking station. There’s no set standard for what differentiates the two, but docking stations tend to have more ports, offer a separate DC power supply and cost more, with some reaching upwards of $400. We have a separate guide to the best docking stations to check out if you’re looking for something bigger than what we’re discussing here. USB-C hubs, in contrast, have between four and 10 ports, can support pass-through charging and typically cost between $30 and $150.

Hubs make more sense for smaller setups with just a few peripherals, such as a monitor, a wired keyboard and mouse, and the occasional external drive. They’re also more portable, since they’re small and require no dedicated power. That could be useful if you change work locations but want to bring your accessories with you, or if you want to replace your laptop with a more powerful tablet. A docking station makes more sense for someone who needs a robust setup for their laptop, including multiple external monitors, webcams, stream decks, microphones and so on.

Both docks and hubs make it easy to grab your laptop off your desk for a meeting or other brief relocation and when you get back, plugging in one cable gets all your accessories reconnected.

Ports

The first port to consider is the one on your laptop or tablet. For a USB-C hub to work, it needs to connect to a port that supports video, data and power — all of which is covered by anything listed as USB 3.0 or better. The port, of course, needs to be Type-C as well. The sea of laptops out there is vast, so it’s hard to make generalizations, but modern laptops should have at least one USB-C port that will suffice, and indeed, every one of our top picks for the best laptops do.

Next, it’s a matter of finding a hub that has the right connections for your needs. Most hubs offer some combo of HDMI, USB, memory card, Ethernet and 3.5 mm ports. If you have a 4K monitor and would like at least a 60Hz refresh rate, you’ll need a hub with an HDMI 2.0 port — HDMI 1.4 only goes up to 30Hz. HDMI 2.1 will handle 4K at up to 120Hz, but hubs that have adopted that standard aren’t as common just yet. Keep in mind that a low refresh rate can cause your screen to feel laggy, making your mouse appear glitchy and your webcam movements to look delayed.

Additional USB ports on these accessories are usually Type-A or Type-C. They can support data with different transfer rates, typically 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Some ports only handle passthrough power and no data, and some can do data, power and video, so it’s best to check the spec list to make sure you’re getting the support you need. Keep in mind that a hub may bill itself as a 7-in-1, but one of those ports may not be usable for anything other than charging.

Standard SD and microSD slots are useful for transferring data from cameras and the like. Ethernet ports may deliver faster internet speeds than your Wi-Fi and a hub with a 3.5mm jack can bring back the wired headphone connection that some laptops have ditched.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

Power delivery

Nearly all of the USB-C hubs I tested support passthrough charging. That means if your laptop or tablet only charges via USB, you don’t have to take up another port on your laptop to keep everything topped up. Unlike a docking station, powering a hub is optional. The one exception is if you want to close the lid on your laptop while you work on an external monitor. Most computers will go into sleep mode if the lid is closed without power, so either the laptop or the hub will need to be plugged into the wall to prevent that from happening.

Many of the newer hubs include a 100W power delivery (PD) port, with a healthy 80 to 85 watts going to your computer (the hubs take a little of the juice for themselves, hence the 15-watt or so difference). In my tests, sending power through the hub made them run even hotter than they do already, so I prefer to charge the computer directly. But for tablets or other devices with no extra ports, that PD option is important.

Some PD ports are also data ports — which is both good and bad. On one hand, it feels wasteful to use a perfectly good data port just for boring old electricity. But on the other hand, USB-C connections that only carry a charge are less versatile, and it makes it seem like it has more accessory hookups than it actually does.

Design

There’s surprisingly little design variation among hubs. Most look like a flat slab, a little smaller than a smartphone, and have an attached Type-C host cable. The hues range from a silvery black to a silvery gray. Some are thinner than others, some have all ports on one edge and some have ports on both sides. All of this is just to say that aesthetics probably won’t make or break your buying decision.

One variation that could tip the scales is the length of the cable. A longer one will give you more freedom as you arrange the hub on your desk, potentially even letting you hide it behind your laptop. Or you may prefer a shorter one to keep the hub neatly set beside your laptop.

How we test USB-C hubs

Before we test anything, we take a look at what’s available and how they’ve been received by shoppers, forum-goers and other publications. I became familiar with a few reputable brands when I was testing docking stations, so I looked into hubs from those companies as well. I focused on items that would help with an average day of productivity — not high-end setups or demanding gaming situations. Once I settled on a dozen or so that would make good candidates, I had them shipped to my humble office in the desert and started testing them out over the course of a few weeks.

I used an M1 MacBook Pro as the host computer and plugged in accessories that include a 4K Dell monitor, a ZSA USB-C ergo keyboard, a Logitech USB-A gaming mouse, an Elgato USB-C 4K webcam, a Logitech streaming light, a USB-A 3.0 Sandisk thumb drive, a USB-C Samsung T7 Shield external drive and a pair of wired headphones I got for free on an airplane (I should probably invest in some wired headphones, but the cord dangling on my chest drives me nutty so all my earbuds are wireless). I used high-end HDMI and USB-C cables to ensure that any data or connectivity issues weren’t related to my equipment.

Then I put each USB-C hub through a gamut of basic tests. I looked at what could be plugged in at once, the resolution on the monitor, data transfer speeds, the overall build quality of the hub and general usability factors, like the placement of the ports and the length of the cords. And, finally, the price to value ratio helped determine the best ones for a few different use cases.

Best USB-C hubs for 2025

Other hubs we tested

HyperDrive Next 10 Port USB-C Hub

There’s a lot to like about HyperDrive’s Next 10 Port USB-C Hub. The tethered cable is a lavish 13 inches long, the HDMI 2.0 port outputs clear and crisp 4K visuals at 60Hz and the data transfers are screaming fast. It has the coveted two USB-C data ports plus a PD port, and there’s even a headphone jack. The only thing that holds back a full-throated endorsement is the way our unit handled a streaming light. Having it on at full brightness made the webcam flicker every time. The issue went away at 75 percent brightness, but the same problem didn’t happen on any other hub I tested.

Anker 341 USB-C Hub (7-in-1)

There’s nothing wrong with the Anker 341 USB-C hub. In fact it’s a current recommendation in our iPad accessories guide and it comes at a great $35 price. It gives you two USB-A ports as well as SD slots. But at this point, a 1.4 HDMI connection, which only supports 4K resolution at 30Hz feels a little retro. There’s also just a single USB-C downstream port and the data transfer tests proved to be a touch slower than the other hubs. But if you’ve got a lower resolution monitor and don’t need more than one USB-C, you won’t be disappointed with it.

Startech 4-Port USB-C Hub (data only)

I only became aware of Startech when I started researching for this guide. The quality is decent and the yellow accents are a welcome bit of color in the otherwise very gray world of hubs. The performance is solid, with no hiccups that I encountered. The brand’s 4-Port USB-C Hub has a long cord that wraps around the hub itself, which is unique. It doesn’t bother with power delivery, which isn’t an issue if you can power your computer directly. But the four USB ports (three Type-A and one Type-C) max out at 5Gbps and there’s no HDMI connector. It goes for $46, and unfortunately for it, there are cheaper ways to get a few more USB ports for your setup.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-usb-c-hub-120051833.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

Some of the best smart home tech is the stuff you don’t have to think about. My lamps have been connected to smart plugs for a long time now — my living room lights turn on at dusk, go dark around 10PM (or when I tell Alexa goodnight) and complete a similar routine each morning. I haven’t manually twisted a switch-knob or stumbled in the dark for over a year. And if I weren’t continually thinking about smart plugs for this guide, I’d have forgotten about them completely.

But not every plug offers seamless connectivity, and which plug works with which home ecosystem varies, too. Right now, the best plug for just about everyone is the Kasa Mini EP25, but there are other winners, depending on your needs. Based on our testing of around 15 options, these are the best smart plugs you can buy.

Table of contents

• Best smart plugs

• What to consider when buying a smart plug

• How we tested the best smart plugs

• Other smart plugs we tested

Best smart plugs

The best outdoor smart plugs

Most people will likely use outdoor plugs for two things: patio lighting and holiday string lights. The devices are designed for the outdoors with ingress protection rating of IP64 or higher, which means they’re impervious to dust and can handle splashing water from rain and sprinklers. They have a longer Wi-Fi range than indoor plugs, for obvious reasons, and many have dual outlets, with individual control over each one.

Setup is the same as for indoor plugs: you’ll use your phone to help the plug find your Wi-Fi using its companion app. The only tricky part is getting your phone within Bluetooth range of the plug (which it uses to initialize setup) and in Wi-Fi range at the same time. I had to awkwardly stand at a triangulated point in the middle of my driveway to get things communicating properly. Once set up, the plugs will communicate using your router for voice and app control and your phone needn’t be anywhere near the plug.

What to consider when buying a smart plug

Before you buy one, it helps to know how a smart plug works best. They are designed for things that have an on/off switch, making them great for turning lamps into smart lights. If you want a plug-in fan to move some air around before you get home, a smart plug can help. You can load a basic coffee maker with grounds and water the night before and wake up to a fresh pot in the morning. And instead of an air purifier running all day, you could set it to just run when you’re away. But gadgets that needs to be programmed further, or requires a stand-by mode, isn’t ideal. If you want to control built-in lights, you’ll need smart switches, which are more involved than smart plugs as they can involve installation.

Some smart plugs can even monitor how much energy they use and display those figures within their companion app. That might not be much use on its own, as lamps with LED bulbs consume very little energy, but it could help you keep tabs on your overall energy consumption.

Setup and use

Adding a smart plug to your home is relatively simple. You’ll use the manufacturer’s app to initially connect, after which you can add the plug to a compatible smart home ecosystem so you can use voice control and other features. Both the brand’s app and your smart home app will let you name the plug, set schedules and program “routines” which provide automation for multiple smart devices at once. But as you can guess, a manufacturer’s app only lets you control products from that brand. If you want whole-home automation, operating, say, a plug from TP-Link’s Kasa, a bulb from GE’s Cync and a camera from Arlo without switching apps, you’ll need to use a smart home platform, which means you’ll need to consider compatibility.

Compatibility

Smart home devices connect through wireless protocols, often using more than one to communicate with your phone, smart speaker, router and in some cases, one another. The majority of smart plugs use Wi-Fi, but some have recently incorporated Matter, a relatively new wireless standard intended to solve integration issues between different brands and manufacturers, while also improving security and reliability.

More of these smart plugs are coming to market and, for now, most Matter devices work via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a low-power mesh network called Thread. Matter requires a controller that stays at home, like a hub or smart speaker, to manage things when you’re out and about.

As for Bluetooth, most plugs, including all Matter plugs, use the short-range protocol to get the device set up for the first time. Some can continue to run on Bluetooth in the absence of another option, but the connection isn’t as reliable and you won’t be able to control the plug when you’re away from home, or perhaps even just on the other side of the apartment.

Because Matter is relatively new, it may be easier to consider the manufacturer’s system you’d use the most. There are four major “branded” smart home platforms: Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s HomeKit and Samsung’s SmartThings. The first two work with the widest range of brands and are compatible with both iOS and Android devices. HomeKit not only limits app access to Apple devices, but it’s also compatible with fewer plugs. You can also turn to open-source software like Home Assistant or go with the larger functionality of IFTTT if you want to, say, have your lights turn off when your Uber arrives. For the purposes of our testing, we stuck with the four big players. Nearly every plug we looked at clearly stated which platforms it works with, both on the packaging and retail product pages.

Of course, there’s no rule that says you have to stick with one home assistant. You might have an Echo Dot in the basement, a HomePod in the living room and a Google Nest Mini in the kitchen, each controlling any compatible devices. My kid has a great time telling Alexa to turn on a light then asking the Google Assistant to turn it back off.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

Hubs and smart plugs

All of our top picks recommended here don’t require a hub and connect directly to your home’s Wi-Fi router. That means if you already have wireless internet and a smartphone or tablet, you can quite literally plug and play. The exception is Apple’s HomeKit. If you want to pair up a compatible plug with that platform, you’ll need a HomePod speaker, Apple TV or an iPad that stays in your home to enable remote control when you’re away.

Some smart plugs require a hub regardless of which platform you use. For our guide, we focused on the simplicity (and lower cost) of options that work on their own, but hub-dependent devices may make sense in certain situations. Some companies, like Aqara for example, make a vast range of smart home products, adding automatic shades, window sensors, smart locks and air quality monitors to the more traditional cameras and plugs. If you’re going all-in on one brand and plan to get a plethora of connected devices, a hub can keep your Wi-Fi network from getting too crowded and provide a more seamless setup with reliable connectivity.

Sharing

Once a plug is set up with your platform and voice assistant of choice, anyone can control the plug just by talking. If someone else wants to control things with their phone, things get more complicated. Google makes it easiest, allowing you to invite another person just by tapping the + button within the Home app. Whomever you invite will have full access to your connected devices – including cameras – so this is only for people you trust the most.

HomeKit makes it similarly easy to grant app access to someone else, but as with most things Apple, it only works for other iOS users. Amazon only allows you to share access to your Echo, not your connected home devices.

Many smart plug manufacturers allow you to share control through their app by inviting another person via email. But this only grants access to devices of that brand. Hopefully as Matter expands, multi-admin features will become more widespread.

If you get a new Wi-Fi network

Most people will wirelessly connect their smart plugs to their home’s Wi-Fi router. Matter, Z-Wave, Thread and other smart home protocols can work over local networks, but for most setups, the signals telling your plugs what to do will be dispatched through your router. If you happen to get a new one (like I did when it became clear my very basic gateway could not handle the number of smart home devices being tested) you’ll need to take a few steps to get everything reconnected.

Depending on the brand, the steps may simply involve using the plug’s companion app to update your credentials (network name and password). Or it will require deleting the device in the companion app, doing a factory reset (typically by pressing the onboard button for 10 seconds) and setting up the plug like it's brand new. GE Sync and Emporia plugs allow for a credentials update via their apps, others, like TP-Link Kasa and Meross plugs require deletion and a factory reset to get along with your new network. Amazon’s smart plug updates automatically after updating the associated Echo device.

How we tested the best smart plugs

Before we decided which smart plugs to test, we considered brands Engadget staffers have had the best experiences with, both in review capacity and personally. We also checked out other online reviews. We then looked at factors like price, compatibility and relative popularity. I got ahold of ten indoor smart plugs and four outdoor versions from eight manufacturers.

I set up each one using its companion app, then added it to all compatible smart home platforms. Plugging in a cadre of lamps and string lights, I tested the plugs using an iPhone 11, Galaxy S10e, Echo Dot, HomePod mini and Nest Mini. I accessed the plugs via the apps and through voice commands and controlled them in my home and away from it. I programmed schedules and routines and moved the plugs to different outlets, including ones in the basement to gauge range. For the outdoor devices, I plugged them into an outlet in the garage (approximately 85 feet from my Wi-Fi router) and an outlet attached to the back of the house.

Here’s every smart plug tested before settling on our top picks:

• Amazon Smart Plug

• Emporia Smart Outlet*

• GE Cync Indoor

• Wyze Plug

• Roku Indoor Smart Plug SE

• Belkin Wemo smart plug with Thread

• TP-Link Kasa EP25

• TP-Link Kasa Ultra Mini EP10

• Meross Wi-Fi Dual

• TP-Link Kasa KP125M (Matter)

• Eve Energy (Matter)

• Aqara Smart Plug (hub required)

• AmazonBasics Outdoor Smart Plug (outdoor)

• Wyze Plug Outdoor (outdoor)

• TP-Link Kasa Outdoor EP40A (outdoor)

• TP-LINK Outdoor Dimmer KP405 (outdoor)

*Emporia issued a recall on its smart plugs purchased before August 1, 2023 due to a potential fire risk, though no incidents were reported. The plugs have since been updated to resolve the issue and are back on sale. We tested the revised version and recommend it as the energy-monitoring pick.

Other smart plugs we tested

Meross Matter plug (MSS115)

I wasn’t able to test the Meross Matter plug fully. It requires Wi-Fi splitting, a process that’s certainly possible for the average consumer, but more involved than it should be, considering the more than dozen other plugs I’ve tested don’t require such a step. The plug itself also blocked the other outlet. Meross has an updated version of the Matter device on the way, one that looks to solve both issues and we’ll update this guide accordingly once we’ve had a chance to test it.

Roku Smart Plug

Roku’s smart home gear is basically Wyze equipment with an app and packaging that are more purple. The Roku smart plug performed just fine with both compatible voice assistants (Alexa and Google Assistant). The companion app doesn’t offer scheduling that revolves around the timing of the sunset in your area, but the plugs go for less than $10 each and if you’ve got a Roku TV or streaming device set up and want to keep everything on-brand, it could be a fit.

Aquara Smart Plug

The Aqara plug requires an Aqara hub. In tests, the connectivity was solid and the companion app allowed for useful if/then automations that can rope in other Aqara devices like locks, window shades, cameras and more. The plug also worked well with voice assistants from Amazon, Google and Apple. As a stand-alone plug, however, it’s tough to recommend the nearly $100 combo to anyone who isn’t planning to get a complete Aqara smart home setup.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/best-smart-plug-131542429.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

It's getting close to pinch time, when gifts bought online will probably arrive in time for the holidays, but then again, might not. If you're willing to assume the odds are in your favor — or don't really care when something arrives on your doorstep — you'll be happy to know this turned out to be a pretty good week to save on tech. 

Many of the sale prices from Black Friday expired after Cyber Week ended, but some deals have miraculously popped back up. The Apple Watch 10 is still down to $330 (with an on-page coupon), and the brand new Kindle Paperwhite is $25 off. Anker's 3-in-1 power bank/wall charger combo is just $20, also with a coupon. We also found discounts on gaming gear, Bluetooth speakers, robo vacs and more. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today. 

• Anker 3-in-1 5,000mAh USB-C portable charger for $20 ($20 off with coupon): Click the on-page coupon to get this all-time low price on an battery bank. It's similar to one of the models we chose for our best power bank list, but has a few more mAh of juice. It has a built-in and foldable AC plug that allows it to act as a 30W wall charger as well as a portable battery and there's also a built-in USB-C cable.

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $29 ($21 off): Woot currently has a three-month digital code for the game subscription for $34, but if it's your first time shoppng at Woot, you can use the code GAMEPASS at checkout to get an additional $5 off, bringing the price down to $29. The deal runs through the end of the day today, December 13. Game Pass Ultimate is one of our favorite Xbox accessories and gives you the opportunity to try out titles you may have never played.

• Elgato Stream Deck Neo for $80 ($20 off): The Neo is Elgato's smaller (and much more affordable) take on one of our favorite game streaming items, the Stream Deck +. They both have eight customizable keys you can program with shortcuts for streaming or just knocking out your daily computing tasks.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (16 GB) for $135 ($25 off): This is $5 more than the all-time low of $130 the new Kindle Paperwhite hit for Black Friday, but it's still $25 less than the list price. We gave the Signature Edition an 85 in our review. This standard model lacks wireless charging, auto-adjusting lights and has a smaller capacity, but we noted those features really weren't essential — the standard Paperwhite is still plenty premium.  

• Cosori 6-quart 9-in-1 air fryer for $88 ($32 off): Our runner up for best air fryer of 2024 is just $3 more than its all-time low as a Prime Exclusive a few months ago. It has nine present modes, including preheat, broil, bake, roast, proof and frozen settings. The air fryer also includes a touchscreen, basket-release button and spacious cooking basket.

• Backbone One mobile gaming controller for $70 ($30 off): A dedicated physical controller will let you more easily play the widening number of games that are available on your phone. One of our picks for the best mobile game controllers is the Backbone One, which is back on sale. The second-gen USB-C PlayStation Edition has dropped down to $70, though if you're not a Prime member you may not see the discount until you add the item to your cart. 

Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget

• Google Pixel Tablet (128GB) for $279 ($120 off): This is the lowest price we've tracked since its release. The Google Pixel Tablet with its 11-inch screen is one of the best Android tablets according to our tests. Though we think it works best when paired with its optional speaker dock.

• Amazon Echo Show 8 for $85 ($65 off): This is $5 more than the smart display went for over Black Friday, but it's still over 40 percent off. It'll handle all the things Alexa can do such as making shopping lists, predicting the weather and controlling your connected smart home devices just by asking. Plus it has an eight-inch screen so you can see your doorbell feed, make video calls, watch a Netflix show and watch recipe videos. 

• Breville the Bambino Plus Espresso Machine for $400 ($100 off): This quality machine has two things going for it for the home barista: It’s not gigantic and not crazy expensive (when compared to the $1,000-plus options out there). The controls are simple enough for newbies, but the results are cafe-quality, which is why we recommend it in our guide to gifts for coffee lovers. Also at Williams Sonoma and direct from Breville.

• JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): This is a return to the Cyber Monday pricing for JBL’s smallest portable speaker. It gives up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at Amazon and Best Buy.

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

• Sonos Move 2 for $359 ($90 off): Sonos speakers dipped down for Black Friday then shot back up. Since then, a few of the brand's speakers have returned to their shopping holiday lows, including the Move 2 which we gave it an 80 in our review, praising the battery life, loud output, improved sound and handy line-in jack. Also at Amazon. 

• Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off): The Sonos Era 100 has also returned to it's Cyber Week pricing. It's our pick for the best midrange smart speaker. We like the excellent sound quality plus it pairs well with other Sonos devices. It has Alexa built-in, so it can handle regular smart home duties, but it’ll also make your music sound far better than any spherical Echo can.

• Sonos Ray soundbar for $169 ($110 off): The Ray soundbar is our pick for a runner-up mid-range soundbar in our guide. It's compact, easy to set up and is relatively affordable, especially now. 

• Anker Eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Max for $129 ($120 off): This is our pick for the best ultra budget robot vacuum. We like the slim design, good suction power and relatively long battery life (up to 100 minutes). Just note that it does have some smarts, but no Wi-Fi connectivity — you'll control it with a remote instead of an app.

Billy Steele/Engadget

• Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones for $298 ($101 off): All four colorways are on sale and this matches the all-time low we've seen a few times before. The WH-1000XM5 earned a stellar 95 from us in our review. The noise-cancelling cans offer a near-perfect balance between features, performance and price; in fact, they’re the Bluetooth headphones Billy Steele, Engadget’s resident audio guru, recommends for most people. Also at Amazon. 

• LEVOIT Core300S Air Purifier for $120 ($30 off): This is the model we recommend for smaller rooms in our https://www.engadget.com/best-air-purifier-120040002.htmlguide to air purifiers. It relatively quiet, has affordable replacement filters and did a good job of clearing the air in our tests.  

• Twelve South AirFly Pro for $44 ($11 off): This handy transmitter lets you connect your wireless earbuds to a 3.5mm jack — ideal for airplanes. This Pro model can receive audio so you can also make phone calls through your headphones, but if you don't need that feature, you can save some money by going with the AirFly SE model, currently $5 off and down to $30. 

Aaron Souppouris/Engadget

• PlayStation 5 (slim) for $424 ($76 off MSRP): While this 15 percent price drop isn't the biggest we've seen, larger discounts for Sony’s console have been uncommon over the past year. This bundle throws in a few Fortnite skins and V-Bucks, while the console alone is available for the same price. Alternatively, you can pair the machine with the recent RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard or an EA sports game for $450 at Walmart. Also at Target, GameStop and PlayStation Direct. Sony says its holiday PS5 sale will run through December 24.

• PlayStation 5 Digital Edition (slim) + NBA 2K25 for $374 at GameStop ($76 off): If you don't care about owning physical discs, you can save another $50 upfront by getting the all-digital PS5. This bundle includes the latest NBA 2K game as a freebie, though the Fortnite bundle noted above and the standalone console are each available for $375 too. Also at Amazon, Target, Best Buy and PlayStation Direct.

• Xbox Wireless Controller for $39 at Walmart ($21 off): This is another deal we’ve seen a few times before, but it’s a decent $5 to $15 off the Xbox pad’s typical street price, depending on which color you pick. A few different color options are still on sale, with some models priced $5 higher. Just remember that this gamepad requires a pair of AA batteries or a separate pack for power. Also at Amazon and Target.

• PlayStation VR2 + Horizon Call of the Mountain for $349 at Amazon ($251 off): Sony's middling software support has made the PSVR2 difficult to widely recommend, but if you have cash to burn and want to dive into games like Gran Turismo 7, Tetris Effect or the Horizon spin-off bundled here, this is the headset's lowest price to date. Also at Best Buy, Walmart, Target, GameStop and PlayStation Direct. Sony says this deal will go through January 3.

Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget

• Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm) for $330 at Amazon ($69 off): The latest Apple Watch is our top pick for the best smartwatch. It's slightly thinner and lighter than previous models, with a rich wide-angle OLED display, (mildly) improved battery life and the usual array of fitness tracking features. We gave it a score of 90 in our review. This ties the best price to date for the 42mm model, though you'll need to clip the on-page coupon to see the full discount at checkout. The larger 46mm version is also on sale for $360.

• Apple AirTags (4-pack) for $73 at Amazon ($26 off): Apple's Bluetooth tracker is our top pick for iPhone users, unsurprisingly, as it can accurately locate your belongings right from the Find My app. A waterproof design and replaceable battery help as well. Just make sure to grab a holder or case if you want to attach one to your keys. This deal is $5 more than the lowest price we've seen but still $7 off the four-pack's typical street price on Amazon. Also at Walmart.

• Samsung Pro Plus (1TB) for $90 at Amazon ($30 off): The Pro Plus is the top pick in our microSD card buying guide. It's not the cheapest card you can buy, but it tested faster than most of its peers in our benchmark tests, with a particular edge in random performance. That lets it play a bit nicer in a portable gaming PC or a device like the Raspberry Pi, where it’d more frequently have to access smaller bits of data in random locations. This is a new low for the 1TB model, which Samsung released earlier this year. Also at Samsung and B&H.

• Marshall Emberton II for $99 ($70 off): This is the smallest Marshall speaker in our guide. Its dual 10-watt drivers and passive radiators create an impressive, 360-degree sound. While it’s not super loud, we think the output is nicely balanced. You’ll get up to 30 hours of play on a charge. Also at Best Buy and directly from Marshall.

• Razer Basilisk V3 for $40 at Amazon ($30 off): The Basilisk V3 is the top wired pick in our gaming mouse buying guide for those who prefer a more ergonomic shape. This discount ties the device's all-time low. Razer released an revised version with an improved sensor a few months back, but that one costs $80 and isn't an essential upgrade while the old model is still in stock. Also at Best Buy.

• Astro Bot for $50 at Walmart ($10 off): The inventive 3D platformer Astro Bot is the closest thing the PS5 has to a modern Super Mario game, even if it is a bit too reverential to the PlayStation brand. Engadget's Jessica Conditt called it “one of the best games Sony has ever made” in her review. The game briefly fell to $43 at Amazon on Black Friday, but this is its best price otherwise. Also at Best Buy, Target and GameStop.

• Metaphor: ReFantazio for $50 at Amazon ($20 off): It’s about as subtle as you’d expect a game named “Metaphor” to be, but the latest from the minds behind Persona 5 is a fantasy JRPG through and through: bombastic, stylish and deeply earnest. (And long.) This leftover Black Friday deal marks its lowest price to date. Also at Walmart.

• Hisense U7N 4K TV (55”) for $479 at Amazon ($319 off): Several reviews around the web call the U7N one of the year's best TV values. It pumps out better brightness and contrast than most alternatives in its price range, plus it supports a fast 144Hz refresh rate at 4K, which helps PS5 and Xbox games look more fluid in motion. Its picture will look washed out if you don't view it straight-on, however, and it’s limited to two HDMI 2.1 ports. This is the 55-inch model's all-time low. Other sizes are similarly discounted. 

• Amazon Echo Buds for $25 at Amazon ($25 off): We highlight the Echo Buds in our guide to the best budget earbuds for those who prefer an unsealed design that doesn't totally mute the outside world. They sound decent for the price and can connect to multiple devices at once, though they aren't fully water-resistant. This deal matches their all-time low.

• Amazon Echo smart speaker for $55 at Amazon ($45 off): The latest Echo is the "best under $100" pick in our smart speaker buying guide thanks to its strong-for-its-size audio quality, stereo pairing support and (mostly) handy range of Alexa skills and smart home integrations. This discount comes in $5 above the lowest price we've seen. Other Echo devices are still on sale as well, including the smaller Echo Dot for $23 and the Echo Spot smart alarm clock for an all-time low of $45.

• Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $3 at Amazon ($42 off): Non-subscribers can still get a three-month Audible Premium Plus trial for $1. Normally, the audiobook service costs $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. As a refresher, Premium Plus is Audible's upper tier: Apart from giving access the full Audible Plus library, it lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month. We wouldn't call it essential, but this is a good way to see if it'd work for you if you've been on the fence. Remember that the plan will auto-renew until you cancel.

• MasterClass Premium (1-year) for $144 at MasterClass ($96 off): MasterClass is still taking 40 percent off the cost of its annual subscription plans for new or returning users, bringing the "Plus" and "Premium" tiers down to $108 and $144, respectively. As a refresher, both options support offline viewing — the cheaper "Standard" tier does not — but the Premium plan lets you watch from six devices simultaneously instead of two. Either way, this is a decent chance to save if you've been interested in taking one of the service's many celebrity-led courses.

• Ultimate Ears Everboom for $180 at Amazon ($70 off): The Everboom is a mid-sized entry in Ultimate Ears' portable speaker lineup. We gave it a review score of 75 this past September and currently include it in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. Its rugged waterproof design, 20-hour battery life and 360-degree sound make it a solid outdoor companion, though it's somewhat bulky, and it's not the best at reproducing fine details in tracks. This deal price is a new all-time low.

• Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 for $60 ($40 off): We put the Wonderboom 3 on our guide to the best speakers and this next-gen model includes a new podcast mode EQ for crisp vocals and is made from more recycled plastics. Like its predecessor, it’ll go for 14 hours on a charge and packs a waterproof build into its mini barrel-like shape. Also at Amazon.

• Anker Soundcore Motion 300 for $56 ($24 off): Weighing in at less than two pounds, Anker’s speaker has a bright, punchy output with a crisp high end and thumpy bass. Plus it’s waterproof and goes for 13 hours on a charge. No wonder it made our list of the best speakers.

• Dyson Airwrap for $490 at Amazon ($110 off): This multipurpose styling tool uses the Coanda effect to create curls without excessive heat, and it comes with a bunch of other attachments that let it work as a hairdryer, heated brush and more. It's certainly not cheap, but this is a good 18 percent off its normal street price. Also at Dyson.

• iRobot Roomba Vac Essential (Q0120) for $149 at Amazon ($101 off): This entry-level robot vacuum has decent cleaning power with three cleaning modes and the ability to set cleaning schedules from iRobot's mobile app. It's a fairly basic model with no obstacle avoidance tech, but it should work for first-time or budget-minded robovac buyers. This deal has been live for a few weeks now but comes within a couple bucks of the device's all-time low. Also at Best Buy.

• Dyson V15 Detect Absolute for $500 at Dyson ($250 off): The V15 Detect is our pick for the best cordless vacuum thanks to its excellent suction power, impressively portable design and hour-long battery life (which is fairly long for these things). This model comes with a "Fluffy Optic" cleaning head that illuminates the ground in front of you so you can better see where dust and debris is hiding. You get a few other cleaning head attachments in the box alongside that. This discount matches the lowest price we could find.

• ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) for $1,650 at Best Buy ($350 off): The 14-inch ROG Zephyrus G14 is the top pick in our guide to the best gaming laptops. We gave it a score of 91 in our review, praising its (relatively) elegant aluminum chassis and beautiful 120Hz OLED display. It can get toasty under load, and the memory isn't upgradeable, but this config can still handle more demanding games at high settings and the native 2.8K resolution without much trouble. It includes a Ryzen 9 8945HS chip, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an RTX 4070 GPU. Outside of one drop to $1,600 back in July, this ties the best price we’ve seen.

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 7 (13.8-inch) for $899 at Amazon ($300 off): We gave the latest Surface Laptop a score of 88 in our review, and we currently recommend it as a great ultraportable in our laptop buying guide. The caveat is that it uses an ARM processor, which runs well but may not work with every app or peripheral you use. If you can live with that, however, its bright 120Hz display, upscale aluminum design and long battery life all impress. Besides in-store-only deals, this is an all-time low for the config with a Snapdragon X Plus chip, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. A 15-inch version with a faster Snapdragon X Elite chip and 256GB of storage is down to a new low of $1,044. Also at Best Buy.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/ankers-3-in-1-power-bank-drops-to-just-20-plus-the-rest-of-this-weeks-best-tech-deals-173041921.html?src=rss

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© Anker

The expensive tech gets all the attention — thousand-dollar phones and $500 tablets. But the supporting players, the cables and batteries and chargers that make those devices work properly, are just as important. Right now for Black Friday, many of those smaller gadgets are on sale for less than $50 even after the day has passed. And there are even some standalone devices like earbuds and smart speakers that fall well below the threshold.

We’ve tested scads of these smaller, less expensive tech for Engadget buying guides, including the best power banks, iPad accessories, smart plugs and microSD cards. Here, we’ve gathered up all the Black Friday tech deals under $50 that you can still get on gadgets we recommend.

Black Friday tech deals under $20

Amazon

• Amazon Echo Pop (2023) for $18 ($22 off): Amazon’s smallest Echo will fit in any room in your home, so Alexa can add things to your shopping list, set a timer, or answer questions (like “What’s a bomb cyclone?” or “Who is Penelope Cruz married to?”) from anywhere.

• Anker Nano Charger 30W USB-C for $13 ($7 off): This compact 30-watt wall charger is smaller than others of its wattage and can speedily juice up an iPhone or Android handset. Anker is one of Engadget’s most recommended accessory brands and this is the model we picked for our fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Anker Nano power bank with built-in USB-C connector for $16 ($4 off): It’s the size of an old-timey lipstick case but packs enough juice (and its own USB-C plug) to get a dying smartphone back in service with at least a half charge. It’s one of the winners in our guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10 ($30 off): As part of the Xbox Black Friday sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Street Fighter 6 and Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. And if you’re looking for more deals on game titles, check out Jeff Dunn’s Black Friday gaming roundup.

• Glocusent Tri-head clip-on book light for $16 ($4 off): Glocusent’s book light can stand on a desk or clip to a book and casts a wide swath of light across the widest of pages. It’s a pick in our book lovers gift guide.

• Beshon European travel plug adapter (two-pack) for $13 ($6 off with Prime): If you’re planning any trips abroad, take one of these, as Engadget’s Valentina Palladino recommends in our gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.

• Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price we’ve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Amazon.

• Amazon Smart Plug for $13 ($12 off): If you rely on Alexa as your smart home assistant, this is an affordable and reliable way to control your lamps, fans and Christmas lights. It was one of the more reliable and fuss-free plugs I tested.

• Anker Nano II 713 Charger (45W) for $20 ($20 off): This 45-watt charger has a single USB-C port and will let you take advantage of the faster charging speeds newer devices offer (just make sure you have an equally robust cable). It’s one of the picks in our iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Chipolo ONE for $20 ($5 off): Our favorite Bluetooth tracker overall is loud, compact and readily tells you when you’ve left your keys (or whatever else you attach them to) behind. If you’re looking for a finding network to locate things you’ve lost out in the wild, this isn’t the one to get, but for everyday locating misplaced keys in the house, this is great. 

• Belkin Apple AirTag secure holder for $15 ($5 off): AirTags are great, and we recommend them for iPhone users, but they have no built-in method for attaching them. This is one of the gizmos we recommend in our guide to secure the tag to your luggage and more. Also at Amazon.

• Elevation Lab TagVault (2 Pack) for $16 ($4 off with Prime): Another recommendation from our guide, Elevation Labs fabric mount is ideal for sticking an AirTag inside your coat, backpack or anything else you want to track. Also at Elevation Lab without Prime.

• PopSockets Phone Grip for $15 ($15 off): You can save 50 percent on the Pop Socket we recommend in our guide to iPhone accessories. Many other PopSockets are on sale directly from PopSocket for Black Friday.

• J-Tech Digital Ergonomic Mouse for $17 ($8 off): The best budget ergo mouse has a vertical grip that’s a little wider than others of its ilk, which we found to be more comfortable. There are RGB lights, which can be fun. But which can also be turned off.

• WAVLINK USB-C hub for $13 ($13 off): The budget pick in our guide to USB-C hubs has an HDMI port, three USB connections (two type-A and one type-C) plus a generous 10-inch cable to give you more options when plugging into your laptop or tablet.

• Anker USB-C 240W Bio-Braided cable for $12 ($5 off): A fast charger won’t do much if the cable isn’t rated to handle the wattage. This 240W Anker cable is pulled from our list of the best iPhone accessories and will charge those devices (or any other rechargeable item with a USB-C port) as quickly as the brick and device will allow.

• Peak Design Packable Tote for $16 ($4 off): We recommend this handy bag in our gift guide for travelers. We like that it zips shut, is water resistant and has a padded shoulder/hand strap. Plus it packs into itself and takes up just a little more room than a deck of cards.

The Best Black Friday subscription deals under $50

Max / Engadget

• Disney+ Hulu bundle (one-year) for $36 ($96 off): This Disney+ Black Friday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.

• Max subscription for $18 (6-month) ($42 off): You can get six months of Max with Ads for $2.99 monthly instead of the usual $9.99. The subscription will automatically renew at that rate each month until the end of the promo period, when it'll automatically renew for the full $10. New and returning subscribers are eligible through Max.com, Roku, Apple and other streaming ecosystems, but is only open to new subscribers via Amazon Fire TV.

• Paramount+ Showtime (two months) for $6 ($20 off): New and former subscribers can get two months of Paramount+ Essential (with ads, usually $8 monthly) or Paramount+ with Showtime (ad-free, usually $13 monthly) for just $3 per month. It's one of our favorite streaming services and the best place to watch as much Star Trek as you want. As with all subscriptions, remember the standard pricing will auto-renew after two months.

• Peacock (one year) for $20 for ($75 off): New and returning subscribers can get a full year of Peacock for just $20. It's also one of our favorite streamings services and has some excellent shows like Mrs. Davis, Poker Face and Killing It. Note this is the ad-supported tier, it is only available through Peacock's website and will auto renew after the year is up. 

• Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $1 ($29 off): If you don’t currently subscribe to Audible you can get three months of the audiobook service's Premium Plus plan for $1. The service is usually $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. Premium Plus gives you access to the Audible Plus library, and lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month.

• Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $0 for one month ($12 off): Amazon's ebook subscription service gives you access to a selected catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading as well as some Audible audiobooks and magazines. Prime members can get two months for only $5.

• Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need, and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.  

Black Friday tech deals under $30

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent sound. We named it the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room and trigger connected thermostat functions. You can also get it with a free smart bulb for the same price. 

• Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 for $21 ($9 off): If you have a Samsung smartphone, this is the tracker we recommend. The finding network isn’t as vast as Apple’s, but in our tests, the accuracy was good and the physical design is one of the best of its kind.

• Loop Experience 2 ear plugs for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Billy Steele reviewed the Loop Switch 2 earbuds at a concert and was impressed by what he heard (and didn’t hear). While the Switch model has three settings, these plugs just offer one level of noise dampening — and the “Experience” setting is the one Billy liked best.

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29 ($21 off): On our list of the best streaming devices we named the Roku Streaming Stick 4K the best pick for those wanting an ocean of free and live content. By combining Roku’s own free channels with content from other FAST apps this simple stick turns any screen into a portal to a near-infinite amount of movies and shows that you won’t pay a dime for. Also at Target and direct from Roku for $1 more.

• Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics and we named a number of Soundcore audio devices to our buying guides. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models from Anker and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

• Anker Nano 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also at Anker within an auto-applied code.

• HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 gaming headset for $30 ($20 off): Though we ultimately recommend getting an external mic along with your wired headphones if you need to chat while playing, the Cloud Stinger 2 is our pick for a budget gaming headset. Also at Best Buy and direct from Hyper.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A (4-pack) for $30 ($20 off): Our favorite smart plug overall connects to all the major smart home platforms, including from Apple, Google and Amazon. It’s perfectly simple to set up, stays connected and makes it easy to make your lights do what you want them to. Also at B&H Photo.

• TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE315) for $23 ($27 off): This is our pick for the best budget Wi-Fi extender. It's easy to set up and offers good performance for the price. Just keep in mind it has smaller (1,500 square-foot) coverage and no support for Wi-Fi 6e. 

• EarFun Free 2S wireless earbuds for $25 ($15 off): These don’t sound as sharp as other budget earbuds we recommend and there’s no noise cancellation or transparency mode, but if you need a pair of earbuds under $50 (or under $30 now) these are decently comfortable with a sound that’s a bit richer than others in its price range.

• Amazon Echo Buds for $25 ($25 off): Our favorite budget earbuds with an open ear design are made by Amazon. They don’t go all the way in your ear so you’ll hear more of what’s going on around you. The sound is decently separated, though we recommend tweaking the EQ in the Alexa app to bring down the treble a touch.

• Anker USB-C Hub 341 for $25 ($10 off): Anker’s seven-port hub lets you use a range of extras with your tablet, which is why we named it one of the best accessories for an iPad. In addition to extra USB connections, you also get a microSD and standard SD card slots.

• Logitech Signature M650 wireless mouse for $30 ($5 off): This portable mouse is great for anyone who changes locations when they work because it connects quickly and easily slips in a pack. It’s one of the gifts we recommend in our stocking stuffer guide. Also at Staples and direct from Logitech.

• Baseus 30W Magnetic Power Bank for $25 ($20 off): An honorable mention in our battery guide, this small Baseus bank delivers a fast charge either wirelessly for MagSafe compatible iPhones or via the attached USB-C cable.

• Betrayal at The House on The Hill board game for $30 ($26 off): This one made the list in our board game gift guide as a good pick for horror fans. Three to six players explore a haunted mansion, working together until one player reveals themselves as the traitor. It comes with 50 scenarios to keep you entertained evening after evening.

• Mysterium board game for $35 ($20 off): Our own Valentina Palladino recommends this game to anyone who loves a good mystery. It takes Clue to the next level and is best played with friends and family on a dark and stormy night. 

• Settlers of Catan board game for $25 ($19 off): It's hard to find anyone into board games who hasn't yet played Catan, but this trading and settling game is a classic for a reason. Get it and prepare for some lively sheep bartering.    

Black Friday tech deals under $40

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Xbox Wireless Controller for $40 ($20 off): We’ve seen this deal before, but it’s a decent discount on a necessary accessory. The brighter colors are $45, but if you're happy with the standard-issue black or white, you'll save the most. Also at Best Buy and Target.

• Anker 525 charging station for $36 ($30 off): This is one of the handy items that makes working from home easier, as we recommend in our WFH gift guide. It offers four USB ports up front (both Type-A and Type-C) and three extra AC plugs in the back. 

• Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $35 ($35 off): The newest Blink Mini wired security camera came out earlier this year and it supports 1080p video recordings, a wider field of view than the previous model and improved low-light performance. It may be wired, but you can use it outside with the $10 weather-resistant adapter.

• JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $33 ($27 off): Amazon's most powerful dongle supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6E and live picture-in-picture mode so you can see security camera feeds directly on your TV as you're watching a show or movie. In addition to being a solid streamer, it also makes a good retro gaming device.

• Anker 633 Magnetic Battery for $40 ($15 off): Choose from a MagSafe option or the 20W Power Delivery port via a USB-C cable (which charges things faster). The handy kickstand means you can look at your phone while it charges and that port lets you charge non-MagSafe devices too.

• Blink Outdoor 4 (2023) $38 ($52 off): Amazon’s latest outdoor Blink camera works well (and only) with Alexa, letting you check on your surroundings using the app or a compatible display (like an Echo Show or a Fire TV.

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $40 ($30 off): Engadget’s Mat Smith gave this title a favorable review earlier this year. It helps if you’ve played its predecessor and it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive.

• Govee Smart LED Light Bars for $35 ($15 off): We like Govee’s playful smart lights and recommend the brand in our guide to smart bulbs. These light bars made the list in our stocking stuffer gift guide thanks to their versatility (they can stand up, lay flat or be mounted) and there’s no end to the multiple colors and sequences you can program.

• Razer Basilisk V3 ergonomic gaming mouse for $40 ($30 off): This is the gaming option in our guide to the best ergonomic mice. It’s super light and glides across multiple surfaces. The buttons are customizable and the thumb rest is comfortable. Also at Amazon.

• UGREEN Revodok Pro 109 USB-C hub for $38 ($16 off): The top pick in our buying guide to USB-C hubs has a good array of ports, the ability to support two 4K monitors, and a nice long host cable so you can easily arrange it on your desk.

• Moft Tripod iPhone Wallet for $40 ($10 off with Prime): Moft's origami-inspired accessories tend to be clever and surprisingly useful. This one is no different, combining a single-card wallet with a dual-height stand. I was impressed with the sturdiness of the stand in such a thin package. If you don't need to carry a single card, the wallet-less version is $32 right now.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $40 ($30 off): Nintendo announced its Black Friday deals early, but they didn’t go live until November 25. The big callout here is Tears of the Kingdom. We found the game to be an absolute delight as it builds on all of the concepts and story introduced in Breath of the Wild. 

• Keychron C3 Pro mechanical keyboard for $33 at Amazon ($25 off, Prime only): Here’s a decent mechanical keyboard that’s surprisingly affordable. The C3 Pro is the budget pick in our keyboard buying guide. We found the keycaps a bit slick, but its typing feel and sound are still levels above the membrane boards you usually find in this price range.  

• Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($20 off): We named this compact speaker in our guide to holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.

Black Friday tech deals under $50

Amazon

• JBL Clip 5 for $49.95 ($30 off): JBL makes a good number of the winners in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. We didn’t review this one formally for our guide, but it’s one of the more affordable models the brand makes and the clip plus dunkable water resistance makes it easy to bring JBL’s signature dynamic range just about anywhere. Also at Walmart.

• Twelve South AirFly Pro for $44 ($11 off): Some in-flight screens let you connect your AirPods via Bluetooth. Some don’t. TwelveSouth’s handy gadget will help if you get stuck in the latter situation. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and sends the audio to your earbuds wirelessly. Of course it’ll also work when you’re on the ground too. We recommend it in our gifts for dad’s guide.

• Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we've seen on it. It's part of a larger Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent (though many of those deals hit above the $50 mark).

• Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023) for $45 ($45 off): The newest Echo Show 5 made our list of the best smart displays because it doubles as a “stellar alarm clock” with the auto-dimming screen, tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm. Plus the tiny, five-inch screen is perfect for a nightstand. Also, oddly, at Best Buy.

• Amazon Echo Spot (2024) $45 ($35 off): The mini display just shows simple data like the time, weather or song that’s playing while the other half of the circle plays music. It’s an updated version of a model Amazon discontinued a couple of years ago and now it’s back.

• Elecom Nestout power bank 15,000mAh for $48 ($12 off): For outdoor charging, this is one of the few portable batteries that can handle a dunk in water (as long as you’ve remembered to screw on the port covers). We recommend it in our guide and particularly like the handy accessories like a tripod stand and light that you can buy to go on it. Also at Nestout for $1 more.

• 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller for $48 at Amazon ($12 off, Prime only): Engadget’s Jeff Dunn raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC, calling it comfortable with durable Hall effect joysticks that should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers. Also at Best Buy.

• Soundcore by Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds for $45 ($35 off): Our top budget wireless earbuds are just $5 shy of their all time low. They have outstanding active noise cancellation for the price and offer a warm and pleasant default sound.

• Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom and is the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

• Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($38 off with coupon): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit (see price in cart).

• Anker PowerConf C200 2K webcam for $48 ($12 off): The budget pick in our buying guide to webcams is back down to a low it’s hit a few times before. We like the excellent video clarity and easy set up and customization. Also at Anker with a coupon code.

• Thermacell Mosquito Repeller for $43 ($8 off): The mosquitos may be gone for the winter, but we all know they'll be back next year. This is one of the few mosquito-repelling products we recommend, so grab one now for a less irritating summer next year. 

• Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV for $44 (20 percent off): This set recreates the scene in which Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers battled the Rebels, and it includes seven Star Wars minifigures. Also at Target. 

Expired Black Friday deals

• Ransom Notes board game for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Karissa Bell recommends this party board game in our gift guide thanks to its hilarity-inspiring appeal. It forces players to communicate complex concepts using a given number of word magnet tiles.

• OtterBox Performance Fast Charge Power Bank 20,000 mAh for $32 ($23 off): This is the larger-capacity model of the mid-range battery we recommend in our guide to power banks. Not only does it look cool, it’s durable and charges up a phone quickly through either the USB-C or USB-A port.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/derek-copy-v3-the-70-best-black-friday-tech-deals-you-can-still-get-under-50-020236576.html?src=rss

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© Amazon/JBL/Anker/Engadget

The expensive tech gets all the attention — thousand-dollar phones and $500 tablets. But the supporting players, the cables and batteries and chargers that make those devices work properly, are just as important. Right now for Black Friday, many of those smaller gadgets are on sale for less than $50 even after the day has passed. And there are even some standalone devices like earbuds and smart speakers that fall well below the threshold.

We’ve tested scads of these smaller, less expensive tech for Engadget buying guides, including the best power banks, iPad accessories, smart plugs and microSD cards. Here, we’ve gathered up all the Black Friday tech deals under $50 that you can still get on gadgets we recommend.

Black Friday tech deals under $20

Amazon

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• Amazon Echo Pop (2023) for $18 ($22 off): Amazon’s smallest Echo will fit in any room in your home, so Alexa can add things to your shopping list, set a timer, or answer questions (like “What’s a bomb cyclone?” or “Who is Penelope Cruz married to?”) from anywhere.

• Anker Nano Charger 30W USB-C for $13 ($7 off): This compact 30-watt wall charger is smaller than others of its wattage and can speedily juice up an iPhone or Android handset. Anker is one of Engadget’s most recommended accessory brands and this is the model we picked for our fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Anker Nano power bank with built-in USB-C connector for $16 ($4 off): It’s the size of an old-timey lipstick case but packs enough juice (and its own USB-C plug) to get a dying smartphone back in service with at least a half charge. It’s one of the winners in our guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10 ($30 off): As part of the Xbox Black Friday sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Street Fighter 6 and Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. And if you’re looking for more deals on game titles, check out Jeff Dunn’s Black Friday gaming roundup.

• Glocusent Tri-head clip-on book light for $16 ($4 off): Glocusent’s book light can stand on a desk or clip to a book and casts a wide swath of light across the widest of pages. It’s a pick in our book lovers gift guide.

• Beshon European travel plug adapter (two-pack) for $13 ($6 off with Prime): If you’re planning any trips abroad, take one of these, as Engadget’s Valentina Palladino recommends in our gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.

• Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price we’ve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Amazon.

• Amazon Smart Plug for $13 ($12 off): If you rely on Alexa as your smart home assistant, this is an affordable and reliable way to control your lamps, fans and Christmas lights. It was one of the more reliable and fuss-free plugs I tested.

• Anker Nano II 713 Charger (45W) for $20 ($20 off): This 45-watt charger has a single USB-C port and will let you take advantage of the faster charging speeds newer devices offer (just make sure you have an equally robust cable). It’s one of the picks in our iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Chipolo ONE for $20 ($5 off): Our favorite Bluetooth tracker overall is loud, compact and readily tells you when you’ve left your keys (or whatever else you attach them to) behind. If you’re looking for a finding network to locate things you’ve lost out in the wild, this isn’t the one to get, but for everyday locating misplaced keys in the house, this is great. 

• Belkin Apple AirTag secure holder for $15 ($5 off): AirTags are great, and we recommend them for iPhone users, but they have no built-in method for attaching them. This is one of the gizmos we recommend in our guide to secure the tag to your luggage and more. Also at Amazon.

• Elevation Lab TagVault (2 Pack) for $16 ($4 off with Prime): Another recommendation from our guide, Elevation Labs fabric mount is ideal for sticking an AirTag inside your coat, backpack or anything else you want to track. Also at Elevation Lab without Prime.

• PopSockets Phone Grip for $15 ($15 off): You can save 50 percent on the Pop Socket we recommend in our guide to iPhone accessories. Many other PopSockets are on sale directly from PopSocket for Black Friday.

• J-Tech Digital Ergonomic Mouse for $17 ($8 off): The best budget ergo mouse has a vertical grip that’s a little wider than others of its ilk, which we found to be more comfortable. There are RGB lights, which can be fun. But which can also be turned off.

• WAVLINK USB-C hub for $13 ($13 off): The budget pick in our guide to USB-C hubs has an HDMI port, three USB connections (two type-A and one type-C) plus a generous 10-inch cable to give you more options when plugging into your laptop or tablet.

• Anker USB-C 240W Bio-Braided cable for $12 ($5 off): A fast charger won’t do much if the cable isn’t rated to handle the wattage. This 240W Anker cable is pulled from our list of the best iPhone accessories and will charge those devices (or any other rechargeable item with a USB-C port) as quickly as the brick and device will allow.

• Peak Design Packable Tote for $16 ($4 off): We recommend this handy bag in our gift guide for travelers. We like that it zips shut, is water resistant and has a padded shoulder/hand strap. Plus it packs into itself and takes up just a little more room than a deck of cards.

The Best Black Friday subscription deals under $50

Max / Engadget

• Disney+ Hulu bundle (one-year) for $36 ($96 off): This Disney+ Black Friday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.

• Max subscription for $18 (6-month) ($42 off): You can get six months of Max with Ads for $2.99 monthly instead of the usual $9.99. The subscription will automatically renew at that rate each month until the end of the promo period, when it'll automatically renew for the full $10. New and returning subscribers are eligible through Max.com, Roku, Apple and other streaming ecosystems, but is only open to new subscribers via Amazon Fire TV.

• Paramount+ Showtime (two months) for $6 ($20 off): New and former subscribers can get two months of Paramount+ Essential (with ads, usually $8 monthly) or Paramount+ with Showtime (ad-free, usually $13 monthly) for just $3 per month. It's one of our favorite streaming services and the best place to watch as much Star Trek as you want. As with all subscriptions, remember the standard pricing will auto-renew after two months.

• Peacock (one year) for $20 for ($75 off): New and returning subscribers can get a full year of Peacock for just $20. It's also one of our favorite streamings services and has some excellent shows like Mrs. Davis, Poker Face and Killing It. Note this is the ad-supported tier, it is only available through Peacock's website and will auto renew after the year is up. 

• Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $1 ($29 off): If you don’t currently subscribe to Audible you can get three months of the audiobook service's Premium Plus plan for $1. The service is usually $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. Premium Plus gives you access to the Audible Plus library, and lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month.

• Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $0 for one month ($12 off): Amazon's ebook subscription service gives you access to a selected catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading as well as some Audible audiobooks and magazines. Prime members can get two months for only $5.

• Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need, and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.  

Black Friday tech deals under $30

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent sound. We named it the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room and trigger connected thermostat functions. You can also get it with a free smart bulb for the same price. 

• Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 for $21 ($9 off): If you have a Samsung smartphone, this is the tracker we recommend. The finding network isn’t as vast as Apple’s, but in our tests, the accuracy was good and the physical design is one of the best of its kind.

• Loop Experience 2 ear plugs for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Billy Steele reviewed the Loop Switch 2 earbuds at a concert and was impressed by what he heard (and didn’t hear). While the Switch model has three settings, these plugs just offer one level of noise dampening — and the “Experience” setting is the one Billy liked best.

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29 ($21 off): On our list of the best streaming devices we named the Roku Streaming Stick 4K the best pick for those wanting an ocean of free and live content. By combining Roku’s own free channels with content from other FAST apps this simple stick turns any screen into a portal to a near-infinite amount of movies and shows that you won’t pay a dime for. Also at Target and direct from Roku for $1 more.

• Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics and we named a number of Soundcore audio devices to our buying guides. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models from Anker and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

• Anker Nano 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also at Anker within an auto-applied code.

• HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 gaming headset for $30 ($20 off): Though we ultimately recommend getting an external mic along with your wired headphones if you need to chat while playing, the Cloud Stinger 2 is our pick for a budget gaming headset. Also at Best Buy and direct from Hyper.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A (4-pack) for $30 ($20 off): Our favorite smart plug overall connects to all the major smart home platforms, including from Apple, Google and Amazon. It’s perfectly simple to set up, stays connected and makes it easy to make your lights do what you want them to. Also at B&H Photo.

• TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE315) for $23 ($27 off): This is our pick for the best budget Wi-Fi extender. It's easy to set up and offers good performance for the price. Just keep in mind it has smaller (1,500 square-foot) coverage and no support for Wi-Fi 6e. 

• EarFun Free 2S wireless earbuds for $25 ($15 off): These don’t sound as sharp as other budget earbuds we recommend and there’s no noise cancellation or transparency mode, but if you need a pair of earbuds under $50 (or under $30 now) these are decently comfortable with a sound that’s a bit richer than others in its price range.

• Amazon Echo Buds for $25 ($25 off): Our favorite budget earbuds with an open ear design are made by Amazon. They don’t go all the way in your ear so you’ll hear more of what’s going on around you. The sound is decently separated, though we recommend tweaking the EQ in the Alexa app to bring down the treble a touch.

• Anker USB-C Hub 341 for $25 ($10 off): Anker’s seven-port hub lets you use a range of extras with your tablet, which is why we named it one of the best accessories for an iPad. In addition to extra USB connections, you also get a microSD and standard SD card slots.

• Logitech Signature M650 wireless mouse for $30 ($5 off): This portable mouse is great for anyone who changes locations when they work because it connects quickly and easily slips in a pack. It’s one of the gifts we recommend in our stocking stuffer guide. Also at Staples and direct from Logitech.

• Baseus 30W Magnetic Power Bank for $25 ($20 off): An honorable mention in our battery guide, this small Baseus bank delivers a fast charge either wirelessly for MagSafe compatible iPhones or via the attached USB-C cable.

• Betrayal at The House on The Hill board game for $30 ($26 off): This one made the list in our board game gift guide as a good pick for horror fans. Three to six players explore a haunted mansion, working together until one player reveals themselves as the traitor. It comes with 50 scenarios to keep you entertained evening after evening.

• Mysterium board game for $35 ($20 off): Our own Valentina Palladino recommends this game to anyone who loves a good mystery. It takes Clue to the next level and is best played with friends and family on a dark and stormy night. 

• Settlers of Catan board game for $25 ($19 off): It's hard to find anyone into board games who hasn't yet played Catan, but this trading and settling game is a classic for a reason. Get it and prepare for some lively sheep bartering.    

Black Friday tech deals under $40

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Xbox Wireless Controller for $40 ($20 off): We’ve seen this deal before, but it’s a decent discount on a necessary accessory. The brighter colors are $45, but if you're happy with the standard-issue black or white, you'll save the most. Also at Best Buy and Target.

• Anker 525 charging station for $36 ($30 off): This is one of the handy items that makes working from home easier, as we recommend in our WFH gift guide. It offers four USB ports up front (both Type-A and Type-C) and three extra AC plugs in the back. 

• Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $35 ($35 off): The newest Blink Mini wired security camera came out earlier this year and it supports 1080p video recordings, a wider field of view than the previous model and improved low-light performance. It may be wired, but you can use it outside with the $10 weather-resistant adapter.

• JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $33 ($27 off): Amazon's most powerful dongle supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6E and live picture-in-picture mode so you can see security camera feeds directly on your TV as you're watching a show or movie. In addition to being a solid streamer, it also makes a good retro gaming device.

• Anker 633 Magnetic Battery for $40 ($15 off): Choose from a MagSafe option or the 20W Power Delivery port via a USB-C cable (which charges things faster). The handy kickstand means you can look at your phone while it charges and that port lets you charge non-MagSafe devices too.

• Blink Outdoor 4 (2023) $38 ($52 off): Amazon’s latest outdoor Blink camera works well (and only) with Alexa, letting you check on your surroundings using the app or a compatible display (like an Echo Show or a Fire TV.

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $40 ($30 off): Engadget’s Mat Smith gave this title a favorable review earlier this year. It helps if you’ve played its predecessor and it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive.

• Govee Smart LED Light Bars for $35 ($15 off): We like Govee’s playful smart lights and recommend the brand in our guide to smart bulbs. These light bars made the list in our stocking stuffer gift guide thanks to their versatility (they can stand up, lay flat or be mounted) and there’s no end to the multiple colors and sequences you can program.

• Razer Basilisk V3 ergonomic gaming mouse for $40 ($30 off): This is the gaming option in our guide to the best ergonomic mice. It’s super light and glides across multiple surfaces. The buttons are customizable and the thumb rest is comfortable. Also at Amazon.

• UGREEN Revodok Pro 109 USB-C hub for $38 ($16 off): The top pick in our buying guide to USB-C hubs has a good array of ports, the ability to support two 4K monitors, and a nice long host cable so you can easily arrange it on your desk.

• Moft Tripod iPhone Wallet for $40 ($10 off with Prime): Moft's origami-inspired accessories tend to be clever and surprisingly useful. This one is no different, combining a single-card wallet with a dual-height stand. I was impressed with the sturdiness of the stand in such a thin package. If you don't need to carry a single card, the wallet-less version is $32 right now.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $40 ($30 off): Nintendo announced its Black Friday deals early, but they didn’t go live until November 25. The big callout here is Tears of the Kingdom. We found the game to be an absolute delight as it builds on all of the concepts and story introduced in Breath of the Wild. 

• Keychron C3 Pro mechanical keyboard for $33 at Amazon ($25 off, Prime only): Here’s a decent mechanical keyboard that’s surprisingly affordable. The C3 Pro is the budget pick in our keyboard buying guide. We found the keycaps a bit slick, but its typing feel and sound are still levels above the membrane boards you usually find in this price range.  

• Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($20 off): We named this compact speaker in our guide to holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.

Black Friday tech deals under $50

Amazon

• JBL Clip 5 for $49.95 ($30 off): JBL makes a good number of the winners in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. We didn’t review this one formally for our guide, but it’s one of the more affordable models the brand makes and the clip plus dunkable water resistance makes it easy to bring JBL’s signature dynamic range just about anywhere. Also at Walmart.

• Twelve South AirFly Pro for $44 ($11 off): Some in-flight screens let you connect your AirPods via Bluetooth. Some don’t. TwelveSouth’s handy gadget will help if you get stuck in the latter situation. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and sends the audio to your earbuds wirelessly. Of course it’ll also work when you’re on the ground too. We recommend it in our gifts for dad’s guide.

• Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we've seen on it. It's part of a larger Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent (though many of those deals hit above the $50 mark).

• Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023) for $45 ($45 off): The newest Echo Show 5 made our list of the best smart displays because it doubles as a “stellar alarm clock” with the auto-dimming screen, tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm. Plus the tiny, five-inch screen is perfect for a nightstand. Also, oddly, at Best Buy.

• Amazon Echo Spot (2024) $45 ($35 off): The mini display just shows simple data like the time, weather or song that’s playing while the other half of the circle plays music. It’s an updated version of a model Amazon discontinued a couple of years ago and now it’s back.

• Elecom Nestout power bank 15,000mAh for $48 ($12 off): For outdoor charging, this is one of the few portable batteries that can handle a dunk in water (as long as you’ve remembered to screw on the port covers). We recommend it in our guide and particularly like the handy accessories like a tripod stand and light that you can buy to go on it. Also at Nestout for $1 more.

• 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller for $48 at Amazon ($12 off, Prime only): Engadget’s Jeff Dunn raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC, calling it comfortable with durable Hall effect joysticks that should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers. Also at Best Buy.

• Soundcore by Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds for $45 ($35 off): Our top budget wireless earbuds are just $5 shy of their all time low. They have outstanding active noise cancellation for the price and offer a warm and pleasant default sound.

• Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom and is the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

• Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($38 off with coupon): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit (see price in cart).

• Anker PowerConf C200 2K webcam for $48 ($12 off): The budget pick in our buying guide to webcams is back down to a low it’s hit a few times before. We like the excellent video clarity and easy set up and customization. Also at Anker with a coupon code.

• Thermacell Mosquito Repeller for $43 ($8 off): The mosquitos may be gone for the winter, but we all know they'll be back next year. This is one of the few mosquito-repelling products we recommend, so grab one now for a less irritating summer next year. 

• Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV for $44 (20 percent off): This set recreates the scene in which Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers battled the Rebels, and it includes seven Star Wars minifigures. Also at Target. 

Expired Black Friday deals

• Ransom Notes board game for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Karissa Bell recommends this party board game in our gift guide thanks to its hilarity-inspiring appeal. It forces players to communicate complex concepts using a given number of word magnet tiles.

• OtterBox Performance Fast Charge Power Bank 20,000 mAh for $32 ($23 off): This is the larger-capacity model of the mid-range battery we recommend in our guide to power banks. Not only does it look cool, it’s durable and charges up a phone quickly through either the USB-C or USB-A port.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/derek-copy-v2-of-the-70-best-black-friday-tech-deals-you-can-still-get-under-50-011300030.html?src=rss

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© Amazon/JBL/Anker/Engadget

The expensive tech gets all the attention — thousand-dollar phones and $500 tablets. But the supporting players, the cables and batteries and chargers that make those devices work properly, are just as important. Right now for Black Friday, many of those smaller gadgets are on sale for less than $50 even after the day has passed. And there are even some standalone devices like earbuds and smart speakers that fall well below the threshold.

We’ve tested scads of these smaller, less expensive tech for Engadget buying guides, including the best power banks, iPad accessories, smart plugs and microSD cards. Here, we’ve gathered up all the Black Friday tech deals under $50 that you can still get on gadgets we recommend.

Black Friday tech deals under $20

Amazon

• Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): The latest Apple Watch is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can get thanks to its slightly thinner and lighter design, wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, watchOS 11 features and slightly improved battery life. We gave it a score of 90 in our Apple Watch Series 10 review.

• Amazon Echo Pop (2023) for $18 ($22 off): Amazon’s smallest Echo will fit in any room in your home, so Alexa can add things to your shopping list, set a timer, or answer questions (like “What’s a bomb cyclone?” or “Who is Penelope Cruz married to?”) from anywhere.

• Anker Nano Charger 30W USB-C for $13 ($7 off): This compact 30-watt wall charger is smaller than others of its wattage and can speedily juice up an iPhone or Android handset. Anker is one of Engadget’s most recommended accessory brands and this is the model we picked for our fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Anker Nano power bank with built-in USB-C connector for $16 ($4 off): It’s the size of an old-timey lipstick case but packs enough juice (and its own USB-C plug) to get a dying smartphone back in service with at least a half charge. It’s one of the winners in our guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10 ($30 off): As part of the Xbox Black Friday sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Street Fighter 6 and Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. And if you’re looking for more deals on game titles, check out Jeff Dunn’s Black Friday gaming roundup.

• Glocusent Tri-head clip-on book light for $16 ($4 off): Glocusent’s book light can stand on a desk or clip to a book and casts a wide swath of light across the widest of pages. It’s a pick in our book lovers gift guide.

• Beshon European travel plug adapter (two-pack) for $13 ($6 off with Prime): If you’re planning any trips abroad, take one of these, as Engadget’s Valentina Palladino recommends in our gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.

• Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price we’ve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Amazon.

• Amazon Smart Plug for $13 ($12 off): If you rely on Alexa as your smart home assistant, this is an affordable and reliable way to control your lamps, fans and Christmas lights. It was one of the more reliable and fuss-free plugs I tested.

• Anker Nano II 713 Charger (45W) for $20 ($20 off): This 45-watt charger has a single USB-C port and will let you take advantage of the faster charging speeds newer devices offer (just make sure you have an equally robust cable). It’s one of the picks in our iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Chipolo ONE for $20 ($5 off): Our favorite Bluetooth tracker overall is loud, compact and readily tells you when you’ve left your keys (or whatever else you attach them to) behind. If you’re looking for a finding network to locate things you’ve lost out in the wild, this isn’t the one to get, but for everyday locating misplaced keys in the house, this is great. 

• Belkin Apple AirTag secure holder for $15 ($5 off): AirTags are great, and we recommend them for iPhone users, but they have no built-in method for attaching them. This is one of the gizmos we recommend in our guide to secure the tag to your luggage and more. Also at Amazon.

• Elevation Lab TagVault (2 Pack) for $16 ($4 off with Prime): Another recommendation from our guide, Elevation Labs fabric mount is ideal for sticking an AirTag inside your coat, backpack or anything else you want to track. Also at Elevation Lab without Prime.

• PopSockets Phone Grip for $15 ($15 off): You can save 50 percent on the Pop Socket we recommend in our guide to iPhone accessories. Many other PopSockets are on sale directly from PopSocket for Black Friday.

• J-Tech Digital Ergonomic Mouse for $17 ($8 off): The best budget ergo mouse has a vertical grip that’s a little wider than others of its ilk, which we found to be more comfortable. There are RGB lights, which can be fun. But which can also be turned off.

• WAVLINK USB-C hub for $13 ($13 off): The budget pick in our guide to USB-C hubs has an HDMI port, three USB connections (two type-A and one type-C) plus a generous 10-inch cable to give you more options when plugging into your laptop or tablet.

• Anker USB-C 240W Bio-Braided cable for $12 ($5 off): A fast charger won’t do much if the cable isn’t rated to handle the wattage. This 240W Anker cable is pulled from our list of the best iPhone accessories and will charge those devices (or any other rechargeable item with a USB-C port) as quickly as the brick and device will allow.

• Peak Design Packable Tote for $16 ($4 off): We recommend this handy bag in our gift guide for travelers. We like that it zips shut, is water resistant and has a padded shoulder/hand strap. Plus it packs into itself and takes up just a little more room than a deck of cards.

The Best Black Friday subscription deals under $50

Max / Engadget

• Disney+ Hulu bundle (one-year) for $36 ($96 off): This Disney+ Black Friday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.

• Max subscription for $18 (6-month) ($42 off): You can get six months of Max with Ads for $2.99 monthly instead of the usual $9.99. The subscription will automatically renew at that rate each month until the end of the promo period, when it'll automatically renew for the full $10. New and returning subscribers are eligible through Max.com, Roku, Apple and other streaming ecosystems, but is only open to new subscribers via Amazon Fire TV.

• Paramount+ Showtime (two months) for $6 ($20 off): New and former subscribers can get two months of Paramount+ Essential (with ads, usually $8 monthly) or Paramount+ with Showtime (ad-free, usually $13 monthly) for just $3 per month. It's one of our favorite streaming services and the best place to watch as much Star Trek as you want. As with all subscriptions, remember the standard pricing will auto-renew after two months.

• Peacock (one year) for $20 for ($75 off): New and returning subscribers can get a full year of Peacock for just $20. It's also one of our favorite streamings services and has some excellent shows like Mrs. Davis, Poker Face and Killing It. Note this is the ad-supported tier, it is only available through Peacock's website and will auto renew after the year is up. 

• Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $1 ($29 off): If you don’t currently subscribe to Audible you can get three months of the audiobook service's Premium Plus plan for $1. The service is usually $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. Premium Plus gives you access to the Audible Plus library, and lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month.

• Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $0 for one month ($12 off): Amazon's ebook subscription service gives you access to a selected catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading as well as some Audible audiobooks and magazines. Prime members can get two months for only $5.

• Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need, and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.  

Black Friday tech deals under $30

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent sound. We named it the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room and trigger connected thermostat functions. You can also get it with a free smart bulb for the same price. 

• Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 for $21 ($9 off): If you have a Samsung smartphone, this is the tracker we recommend. The finding network isn’t as vast as Apple’s, but in our tests, the accuracy was good and the physical design is one of the best of its kind.

• Loop Experience 2 ear plugs for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Billy Steele reviewed the Loop Switch 2 earbuds at a concert and was impressed by what he heard (and didn’t hear). While the Switch model has three settings, these plugs just offer one level of noise dampening — and the “Experience” setting is the one Billy liked best.

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29 ($21 off): On our list of the best streaming devices we named the Roku Streaming Stick 4K the best pick for those wanting an ocean of free and live content. By combining Roku’s own free channels with content from other FAST apps this simple stick turns any screen into a portal to a near-infinite amount of movies and shows that you won’t pay a dime for. Also at Target and direct from Roku for $1 more.

• Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics and we named a number of Soundcore audio devices to our buying guides. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models from Anker and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

• Anker Nano 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also at Anker within an auto-applied code.

• HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 gaming headset for $30 ($20 off): Though we ultimately recommend getting an external mic along with your wired headphones if you need to chat while playing, the Cloud Stinger 2 is our pick for a budget gaming headset. Also at Best Buy and direct from Hyper.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A (4-pack) for $30 ($20 off): Our favorite smart plug overall connects to all the major smart home platforms, including from Apple, Google and Amazon. It’s perfectly simple to set up, stays connected and makes it easy to make your lights do what you want them to. Also at B&H Photo.

• TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE315) for $23 ($27 off): This is our pick for the best budget Wi-Fi extender. It's easy to set up and offers good performance for the price. Just keep in mind it has smaller (1,500 square-foot) coverage and no support for Wi-Fi 6e. 

• EarFun Free 2S wireless earbuds for $25 ($15 off): These don’t sound as sharp as other budget earbuds we recommend and there’s no noise cancellation or transparency mode, but if you need a pair of earbuds under $50 (or under $30 now) these are decently comfortable with a sound that’s a bit richer than others in its price range.

• Amazon Echo Buds for $25 ($25 off): Our favorite budget earbuds with an open ear design are made by Amazon. They don’t go all the way in your ear so you’ll hear more of what’s going on around you. The sound is decently separated, though we recommend tweaking the EQ in the Alexa app to bring down the treble a touch.

• Anker USB-C Hub 341 for $25 ($10 off): Anker’s seven-port hub lets you use a range of extras with your tablet, which is why we named it one of the best accessories for an iPad. In addition to extra USB connections, you also get a microSD and standard SD card slots.

• Logitech Signature M650 wireless mouse for $30 ($5 off): This portable mouse is great for anyone who changes locations when they work because it connects quickly and easily slips in a pack. It’s one of the gifts we recommend in our stocking stuffer guide. Also at Staples and direct from Logitech.

• Baseus 30W Magnetic Power Bank for $25 ($20 off): An honorable mention in our battery guide, this small Baseus bank delivers a fast charge either wirelessly for MagSafe compatible iPhones or via the attached USB-C cable.

• Betrayal at The House on The Hill board game for $30 ($26 off): This one made the list in our board game gift guide as a good pick for horror fans. Three to six players explore a haunted mansion, working together until one player reveals themselves as the traitor. It comes with 50 scenarios to keep you entertained evening after evening.

• Mysterium board game for $35 ($20 off): Our own Valentina Palladino recommends this game to anyone who loves a good mystery. It takes Clue to the next level and is best played with friends and family on a dark and stormy night. 

• Settlers of Catan board game for $25 ($19 off): It's hard to find anyone into board games who hasn't yet played Catan, but this trading and settling game is a classic for a reason. Get it and prepare for some lively sheep bartering.    

Black Friday tech deals under $40

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Xbox Wireless Controller for $40 ($20 off): We’ve seen this deal before, but it’s a decent discount on a necessary accessory. The brighter colors are $45, but if you're happy with the standard-issue black or white, you'll save the most. Also at Best Buy and Target.

• Anker 525 charging station for $36 ($30 off): This is one of the handy items that makes working from home easier, as we recommend in our WFH gift guide. It offers four USB ports up front (both Type-A and Type-C) and three extra AC plugs in the back. 

• Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $35 ($35 off): The newest Blink Mini wired security camera came out earlier this year and it supports 1080p video recordings, a wider field of view than the previous model and improved low-light performance. It may be wired, but you can use it outside with the $10 weather-resistant adapter.

• JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $33 ($27 off): Amazon's most powerful dongle supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6E and live picture-in-picture mode so you can see security camera feeds directly on your TV as you're watching a show or movie. In addition to being a solid streamer, it also makes a good retro gaming device.

• Anker 633 Magnetic Battery for $40 ($15 off): Choose from a MagSafe option or the 20W Power Delivery port via a USB-C cable (which charges things faster). The handy kickstand means you can look at your phone while it charges and that port lets you charge non-MagSafe devices too.

• Blink Outdoor 4 (2023) $38 ($52 off): Amazon’s latest outdoor Blink camera works well (and only) with Alexa, letting you check on your surroundings using the app or a compatible display (like an Echo Show or a Fire TV.

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $40 ($30 off): Engadget’s Mat Smith gave this title a favorable review earlier this year. It helps if you’ve played its predecessor and it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive.

• Govee Smart LED Light Bars for $35 ($15 off): We like Govee’s playful smart lights and recommend the brand in our guide to smart bulbs. These light bars made the list in our stocking stuffer gift guide thanks to their versatility (they can stand up, lay flat or be mounted) and there’s no end to the multiple colors and sequences you can program.

• Razer Basilisk V3 ergonomic gaming mouse for $40 ($30 off): This is the gaming option in our guide to the best ergonomic mice. It’s super light and glides across multiple surfaces. The buttons are customizable and the thumb rest is comfortable. Also at Amazon.

• UGREEN Revodok Pro 109 USB-C hub for $38 ($16 off): The top pick in our buying guide to USB-C hubs has a good array of ports, the ability to support two 4K monitors, and a nice long host cable so you can easily arrange it on your desk.

• Moft Tripod iPhone Wallet for $40 ($10 off with Prime): Moft's origami-inspired accessories tend to be clever and surprisingly useful. This one is no different, combining a single-card wallet with a dual-height stand. I was impressed with the sturdiness of the stand in such a thin package. If you don't need to carry a single card, the wallet-less version is $32 right now.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $40 ($30 off): Nintendo announced its Black Friday deals early, but they didn’t go live until November 25. The big callout here is Tears of the Kingdom. We found the game to be an absolute delight as it builds on all of the concepts and story introduced in Breath of the Wild. 

• Keychron C3 Pro mechanical keyboard for $33 at Amazon ($25 off, Prime only): Here’s a decent mechanical keyboard that’s surprisingly affordable. The C3 Pro is the budget pick in our keyboard buying guide. We found the keycaps a bit slick, but its typing feel and sound are still levels above the membrane boards you usually find in this price range.  

• Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($20 off): We named this compact speaker in our guide to holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.

Black Friday tech deals under $50

Amazon

• JBL Clip 5 for $49.95 ($30 off): JBL makes a good number of the winners in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. We didn’t review this one formally for our guide, but it’s one of the more affordable models the brand makes and the clip plus dunkable water resistance makes it easy to bring JBL’s signature dynamic range just about anywhere. Also at Walmart.

• Twelve South AirFly Pro for $44 ($11 off): Some in-flight screens let you connect your AirPods via Bluetooth. Some don’t. TwelveSouth’s handy gadget will help if you get stuck in the latter situation. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and sends the audio to your earbuds wirelessly. Of course it’ll also work when you’re on the ground too. We recommend it in our gifts for dad’s guide.

• Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we've seen on it. It's part of a larger Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent (though many of those deals hit above the $50 mark).

• Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023) for $45 ($45 off): The newest Echo Show 5 made our list of the best smart displays because it doubles as a “stellar alarm clock” with the auto-dimming screen, tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm. Plus the tiny, five-inch screen is perfect for a nightstand. Also, oddly, at Best Buy.

• Amazon Echo Spot (2024) $45 ($35 off): The mini display just shows simple data like the time, weather or song that’s playing while the other half of the circle plays music. It’s an updated version of a model Amazon discontinued a couple of years ago and now it’s back.

• Elecom Nestout power bank 15,000mAh for $48 ($12 off): For outdoor charging, this is one of the few portable batteries that can handle a dunk in water (as long as you’ve remembered to screw on the port covers). We recommend it in our guide and particularly like the handy accessories like a tripod stand and light that you can buy to go on it. Also at Nestout for $1 more.

• 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller for $48 at Amazon ($12 off, Prime only): Engadget’s Jeff Dunn raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC, calling it comfortable with durable Hall effect joysticks that should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers. Also at Best Buy.

• Soundcore by Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds for $45 ($35 off): Our top budget wireless earbuds are just $5 shy of their all time low. They have outstanding active noise cancellation for the price and offer a warm and pleasant default sound.

• Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom and is the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

• Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($38 off with coupon): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit (see price in cart).

• Anker PowerConf C200 2K webcam for $48 ($12 off): The budget pick in our buying guide to webcams is back down to a low it’s hit a few times before. We like the excellent video clarity and easy set up and customization. Also at Anker with a coupon code.

• Thermacell Mosquito Repeller for $43 ($8 off): The mosquitos may be gone for the winter, but we all know they'll be back next year. This is one of the few mosquito-repelling products we recommend, so grab one now for a less irritating summer next year. 

• Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV for $44 (20 percent off): This set recreates the scene in which Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers battled the Rebels, and it includes seven Star Wars minifigures. Also at Target. 

Expired Black Friday deals

• Ransom Notes board game for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Karissa Bell recommends this party board game in our gift guide thanks to its hilarity-inspiring appeal. It forces players to communicate complex concepts using a given number of word magnet tiles.

• OtterBox Performance Fast Charge Power Bank 20,000 mAh for $32 ($23 off): This is the larger-capacity model of the mid-range battery we recommend in our guide to power banks. Not only does it look cool, it’s durable and charges up a phone quickly through either the USB-C or USB-A port.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/derek-copy-of-the-70-best-black-friday-tech-deals-you-can-still-get-under-50-173605832.html?src=rss

©

© Amazon/JBL/Anker/Engadget

Cyber Monday sales are a good opportunity to get a good deal on new gear — particularly if you’re looking for something for your kitchen. We’ve tested countless small appliances and cooking tools over the years and new reviews are rolling in all the time. Right now, we’re seeing a bunch of that kitchen tech on sale. 

In our buying guides, a few brands consistently top the list — like Anova, Fellow, Breville and Instant Pot — and many of those brands are getting some of the biggest discounts we've seen all year. These are the best Cyber Monday kitchen deals on the cooking gadgets and tools we recommend.

The best Cyber Monday kitchen deals for 2024

Whether for buying guides, reviews or our own use, we’ve tried plenty of gadgets that make home cooking simpler and more enjoyable. We also recently put together a cooking gift guide full of our favorite stuff. Our picks include low and high tech devices for kitchens both indoor and outdoor and right now, lots of those harder-to-categorize recommendations are currently on sale for Cyber Monday and listed here.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

• Meater Pro for $100 ($30 off): In our official review, Engadget’s Billy Steele praises the longer battery life and extended range of this updated smart thermometer from the Trager-owned company. It also packs increased heat resistance and is more durable overall. Also direct from Meater.

• Thermapen One for $76 ($32 off): We recommend this blazingly fast thermometer in our grilling guide because it’ll give you a readout in one second on its auto-rotating screen.

• Anyday Microwave Cookware Starter Set for $70 ($30 off): Our resident microwave aficionado Cherlynn Low speaks highly of these plastic-free dishes, which she’s been using for two years now. The design allows you to steam and even bake foods in the zapper box while also acting as excellent food storage containers. 

The best Cyber Monday deals on coffee and tea gear

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Like most workplaces, Engadget runs on coffee — or at least the people responsible for it do. Many of us put our collective caffeinated experiences together to come up with a gift guide for coffee lovers. Of course, some of us are partial to tea, so we put a guide to tea gifts together as well. Right now for Cyber Monday, many of the picks from both lists are on sale.

• Breville the Bambino Plus Espresso Machine for $400 ($100 off): As we said in our coffee gift guide, this quality machine has two things going for it for the home barista: It’s not gigantic and not crazy expensive (compared to the $1,000-plus options out there). The controls are simple enough for newbies, but the results are cafe-quality. Also at Williams Sonoma and direct from Breville.

• Fellow Tally coffee scale for $148 ($37 off): If you, or someone you’re buying presents for, are Very Serious about coffee, this scale might make sense. It combines precise weight measurements with a timer and a Brew Assist Mode to help you dial in the correct ratio for perfect pour-overs. Also at Amazon.

• Fellow Atmos Vacuum canister for $32 ($8 off): Only people who spend top dollars on the good coffee or loose leaf tea need this rather pricey canister. But it does the job of removing the air so oxidation can’t occur.

• Firebelly Tea Travel Mug for $32 ($8 off): This travel mug not only keeps your iced tea cold and your hot tea steamy, its insert also stops infusion when you press it down so you can steep on the go. 

• Fellow Stagg EKG electric kettle for $132 ($33 off): This exquisitely designed kettle has an LCD panel built into the base so you can choose a specific temperature down to the degree. And the hold feature keeps water hot for up to an hour. It’s great for coffee pour over but is also excellent for tea.

• Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano for $97 ($52 off): We've seen this price for much of the past month, so it's not exactly a new deal, but still a good discount on the machine that led Engadget's Avery Ellis to dub the sous vide stick the “Millennial crockpot.” She uses this one a few times a week to make unfussy meals that keep her alive. The Nano model is a slightly smaller and less expensive version of the top pick in our buyer’s guide. Also direct from Anova for $99.

The best Cyber Monday deals on air fryers and Instant Pots

Instant Brands

Air fryers make microwaves jealous. Food that would otherwise come out hot yet soggy comes out hot and crisp and doesn’t take that much more time. Another kitchen MVP is the ever popular Instant Pot, which can cook everything from soups to rice, beans and more. Here are the best Cyber Monday deals on the air fryers and Instant Pots we recommend.

• Instant Vortex Plus 6QT Air Fryer for $99 ($70 / 41 percent off): This is the top recommendation in our guide to air fryers and happens to be the model I bought for myself after reading our guide. It preheats quickly and keeps cooking odors to a minimum with replaceable filters (it even tells you when it’s time to replace). Plus clean-up is easy and the window is handy for making sure the nachos don't burn. Also at Walmart.

• Cosori 9-in-1 air frier for $88 ($32 off): This is the newest addition in our list, earning a runner up nod for best overall. It has nine preset cooking modes and a six-quart capacity that makes it just the right size to cook a good amount of food without taking up too much space on most countertops. 

• Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for $300 ($100 off): If you want a more traditional toaster oven design with a huge capacity, go for our premium air fryer pick. The fryer-and-oven combo can accommodate a five-quart dutch oven, so it’s almost an auxiliary oven, which could come in handy for holiday cooking. Also at Best Buy.

• Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer for $280 ($70 off): This is the non-Pro version of the Breville air fryer we recommend. It has a slightly smaller capacity (0.8 cubic feet instead of one cubic foot). But still has most of the same features including 11 of the 13 cooking functions.

• Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 pressure cooker (6QT) for $99 ($71 off): These ubiquitous and highly versatile cookers can make just about anything you can dream up — Instant Pot recipes make up a considerable portion of online recipes. This is the pro version of the model we recommend in our buyer's guide to kitchen tech and it has five favorite buttons and extra wattage for a faster preheat. Best Buy has the eight-quart model on sale for $120.

• Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $80 ($50 off): We like this Instant Pot model because it's simple to use and has several quick-cooking modes including beans, cake, sous vide and more.

The best Cyber Monday deals on blenders and mixers

KitchenAid

Cyber Monday is a good time to upgrade an aging hand blender or finally get that Vitamix you’ve been thinking about. Whether for yourself or as a gift for the home cook on our list, these blender and juicer deals come straight out of our kitchen tech guides and will bring plenty of extra muscle for a low price.

• Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $113 ($67 off): The powerful Juice Fountain impressed us with its extraction abilities. Plus it’s relatively easy to clean (as long as you do it right after you juice). It takes up a good amount of space, but can extract an impressive amount of juice from even the driest-seeming carrot.

• Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender for $255 ($125 off): Oh, the Vitamix. I can attest from personal experience it really is as powerful as you’ve heard. It’s of course a recommendation in our guide to kitchen gadgets for its ability to make even the toughest ingredients smooth and creamy. Also at Best Buy and direct from Vitamix.

• Vitamix Immersion Blender for $145 ($25 off): For an immersion blender that matches the power of a countertop version, go for the one from Vitamix. We found the 625-watt motor impressively powerful (duh) and think it’s great for people who want to make crushed ice drinks but don’t have space for a full-sized blender. Also at Amazon and Williams Sonoma.

• Ninja SS101 Foodi Smoothie Maker for $80 ($40 off): Engadget’s Vallentina Palladino recommends this smoothie blender in our gift guide for cooks saying it doesn’t take up that much space and the swappable lids make it easy to take one’s health shakes on the go. Also at Target and directly from Ninja.

• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer for $330 ($130 off): Small wonder that the home cook’s gold standard of mixers made its way onto our kitchen tech guide. Its ton of available attachments can be used to make pasta, grind food, strain or spiralize fruits and veggies and more. This is no unitasker. Also at Target and direct from KitchenAid.

• KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender for $77 ($53 / 41 percent off): The big selling point here is the removable battery that you can use for other KitchenAid Go appliances. In our testing, it had enough power to turn a roasted butternut squash into a smooth, creamy soup.

• KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender for $45 ($15 off): If you’d rather a corded model of the KitchenAid recommendation, that’s on sale too — and is cheaper to begin with. This one comes with extra accessories to make it a true multitasker and has a powerful 180 watt motor, just like the cordless version. Also at Target.

Expired Cyber Monday kitchen deals

• Stanley IceFlow tumbler with straw for $23 ($18 off): Our resident grill master, Billy Steele recommends having a reliable source of frosty beverage at the ready when you grill. This is the one he picked for our grilling gear buyer’s guide.

• Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer for $90 ($70 off): This gets an honorable mention in our air fryer guide. Though the round cooking basket doesn’t feel as roomy as square ones, the taller and thinner design might make the most of limited countertop space. Plus it has a dehydrate option for making your own dried fruit.

• Ooni Karu 16 outdoor pizza oven for $520 ($130 off): The Karu 16 is our favorite multi-fuel outdoor pizza oven but it’s not cheap, so it’s best to get it when it’s on sale. It has a large capacity that can handle full size pizzas — and even cast iron cookware — using wood, charcoal or propane fuel. Plus the bottom-mounted digital thermometer helps you keep tabs on your cooking.

• Ninja Creami ice cream maker for $160 ($40 off): One of our favorite kitchen gadgets, this ice cream maker is super easy to use and makes an infinite amount of frozen treats; you're really only limited by your imagination. This is an Amazon exclusive model that comes with just one pint. The model with two pint jars is on sale too, but it’s $40 more, making it cheaper to buy extra containers separately. The two-pint model is also direct from Ninja.

• Cosori Electric Gooseneck Kettle for $50 ($20 off, see price in cart): This is a return to a discount we've seen multiple times this year, and it's about $14 more than the all-time low. But this kettle has earned its spot on one of our editors’ tiny countertops. It has different built-in temperature settings for different types of drinks and an elegant gooseneck pour. Also at Amazon.

• Anova Culinary Sous Vide 3.0 for $99 ($100 off): This is the best overall sous vide machine, according to testing for our buyer’s guide and this price beats the one from July. We like the easy digital controls and the high flow rate that maintains water temperature better. Also the companion app is stuffed with recipes. It's $120 at Best Buy and directly from Anova.

• Ninja DZ401 Foodi 10-quart air fryer for $130 ($100 off): What if you want to air fry two different foods at once? Go for our recommendation for a dual-zone air fryer. It’s best for larger kitchens and big meals and takes up a commensurate amount of space. It went as low as $150 for Cyber Monday last year.

• Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon for $160 ($40 off with Prime): Our own Sam Rutherford admitted that $200 is a ridiculous price for a pepper mill (and this $160 Cyber Monday price is not much saner). But in his writeup, he details how the Pepper Cannon has become one of his favorite kitchen tools in such a way that makes me strongly consider it, ridiculous or not.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-kitchen-deals-will-save-you-up-to-41-percent-on-ninja-breville-kitchenaid-fellow-and-more-184142267.html?src=rss

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© Engadget/Ninja/Breville/Instant Brands/Anova

Bluetooth speakers bring your music anywhere. Soundbars help you rely less on subtitles. Then there are smart speakers, which build your grocery list, tell you the weather or play that ‘90s song that’s been stuck in your head for a week (no diggity…). 

Now that Cyber Monday is here, we’re seeing deals on all types of speakers, but the ones worth checking out are the ones from our list of the best Bluetooth speakers, the best soundbars and the best smart speakers — we tested and recommend every item on those lists. Here, we've curated every model we've covered that’s currently seeing a noteworthy discount. Here are the best Cyber Monday deals on speakers we could find from brands like JBL, Sonos, Ultimate Ears, Marshall and others. 

The best Bluetooth speaker Cyber Monday deals

JBL

Portable Bluetooth speakers make it easy for you to bring the music where plugs don’t reach — a picnic, the front stoop, an aimless wander along the Pacific Crest Trail. And right now for Cyber Monday, we’re seeing plenty of Bluetooth speaker Cyber Monday deals. Below is the best of what’s on sale, all pulled from our Bluetooth speaker guide as well as our reviews and news coverage.

The best JBL speaker Cyber Monday deals

JBL Clip 5 for $50 ($30 off): It’s tiny, portable and brings its own clip along with it. You’ll get 12 hours of listening from its waterproof body and the whole thing weighs just over half a pound.

JBL Flip 6 for $80 ($50 off): This is the one I bought after reading our guide and I love it. The crowler-sized speaker has great sound quality, is durable as heck and can either sit on its end or on its side. Plus it’s waterproof, dustproof and packs 12 hours of playtime. Also at Amazon and Walmart.

JBL Xtreme 3 for $230 ($100 off): We compare the size of the Xtreme 3 to a football, but since it weighs over four pounds JBL includes a strap for easier carrying. Like most portable speakers it’s waterproof and dust-proof. The lively highs and hefty lows sound great outside, but really the speaker really shines when it can resonate indoors. Also at JBL.

JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy. The previous generation, the JBL Go 3 is down to $30. 

The best Marshall Cyber Monday deals

Marshall Emberton II for $100 ($70 off): This is the smallest Marshall speaker in our guide. Its dual 10-watt drivers and passive radiators create an impressive, 360-degree sound. While it’s not super loud, we think the output is nicely balanced. You’ll get up to 30 hours of play on a charge. Also at Best Buy and directly from Marshall.

Marshall Middleton for $200 ($100 off): The aptly named Middleton is the mid-range Marshall speaker in our guide. The four-pound box puts out excellent sound from the dual woofers and tweeters located at the front and back, and passive radiators along each side. And the classic Marshall look is pretty stylish. Also at Best Buy and directly from Marshall.

Marshall Willen for $60 ($60 / 50 percent off): This is close to an all-time low price on a tiny music box that we named one of our favorite gadgets from last year. Engadget’s Sarah Fielding thinks it’s perfect, saying, “The sound quality is great and it stays connected to my phone regardless of where I go in my little house (the range is 30 feet). Plus, the battery is great, with a playtime of over 15 hours.”

Marshall Acton III for $200 ($80 off): This is the speaker on Sarah's holiday wishlist. The six-pound speaker needs to be plugged in and isn't waterproof, so it's intended to play indoors. But this is a good one to get if you want a retro-looking box for your living room that can emit Marshall's signature warm and balanced sound. Also at Amazon. 

The best Bose Cyber Monday deals

Bose SoundLink Home for $199 ($20 off): It’s a smaller speaker at just two pounds but Bose promises premium sound from the SoundLink Home. We haven't had the chance to test it ourselves just yet, but if the sleek good looks are calling to you, this discount might be a good time to invest. Just note that it’s not waterproof as the “Home” moniker suggests.

Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd gen) for $119 ($30 off): When Bose announced the release of the SoundLink Home, the company also introduced this revamped Flex. The first generation is one of the picks from our Bluetooth speaker guide. This newer generation works with the Bose app and has a new programmable button. Also at Bose and Best Buy. The first generation model is on sale for the same price.

Bose SoundLink Max for $299 ($100 off): The largest portable speaker Bose makes is part of the new SoundLink lineup which Bose announced in May. Also at Amazon and Target.

Bose Smart Soundbar for $399 ($100 off): The latest Bose soundbar came out just a couple months ago and is already on sale. It’s a smaller model that supports Dolby Atmos and has an AI Dialogue Mode as well as a Personal Surround feature if you happen to own a pair of the Ultra Open Earbuds. Bose says the AI smarts make voices easier to hear while retaining the audio’s immersive qualities. Also at Amazon.

The best Ultimate Ears speaker Cyber Monday deals

Ultimate Ears Everboom for $200 ($50 off): The Everboom is a new speaker in the lineup, which UE announced back in June. We reviewed it shortly after and deemed it worthy of inclusion in our guide. Not only does it float, it puts out loud, 360 degree audio and packs 20 hours of listening in a unit that’s just over two pounds. Also at Best Buy. 

Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom. It supplanted the Wonderboom as the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup and even sports a built-in, flexible strap to attach to just about anything. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 for $79 ($21 off): We put the Wonderboom 3 on our guide to the best speakers and this next-gen model includes a new podcast mode EQ for crisp vocals and is made from more recycled plastics. Like its predecessor, it’ll go for 14 hours on a charge and packs a waterproof build into its mini barrel-like shape. Also at Ultimate Ears for $1 more.

Other Cyber Monday Bluetooth speaker deals

Billy Steele for Engadget

Soundboks Go for $524 ($174 off): The 20-pound party speaker is fairly easy to lug around and puts out big sound rated up to 121dB. You get clear mids and highs and a low end with significant presence. The wireless connectivity is pretty fuss-free and lets you connect up to five Sounboks speakers. It even has a swappable battery. This is the one to get for a larger crowd.

Beats Pill for $100 ($50 off): Beats came back to the Bluetooth speaker market with the completely redesigned Pill — and we think it was worth the wait. The durable unit earned a spot on our Bluetooth speaker guide and an 83 in our review. It offers much improved sound quality with impressive bass and full mids. You also get a long, 24-hour battery life and lossless audio over USB-C. Also at Walmart.

Sony ULT Field 1 for $98 ($32 off): Earlier this year, Sony waved goodbye to the Extra Bass and XE-Series products, folding them into the new ULT Power Series branding. This 1.4-pound unit has a 12-hour battery life and IP67 rating. This matches the all-time low. It's two dollars more at Best Buy and direct from Sony.

Anker Soundcore Motion 300 for $56 ($24 off): Weighing in at less than two pounds, Anker’s speaker has a bright, punchy output with a crisp high end and thumpy bass. Plus it’s waterproof and goes for 13 hours on a charge. No wonder it made our list of the best speakers. Also direct from Soundcore.

Anker Soundcore Motion+ for $69 ($30 off): A few Anker Soundcore speakers made our best list and this one weighs just over two pounds. It delivers a bright and bassy output, can play for around 12 hours on a charge and the build is solid with an attractive metal grille.

Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics, too. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($35 off): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit with an auto-coupon.

Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($20 off): We recommend this compact speaker in our guide to holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.

The best Cyber Monday smart speaker deals

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The first thing to decide before you buy a smart speaker is who you prefer to do your smart home-related bidding: Do you want Alexa’s wry yet efficient manner, Google’s info-packed know-how, or Siri’s dreamy presence? Then check out these Cyber Monday deals so you can get that smart home help at a discount.

The Best Sonos smart speaker Cyber Monday deals

Sonos Five for $439 ($110 off): We think the Five is the best smart speaker for music lovers — but it's pricey and rarely goes on sale. This is a return to the lowest price we've seen. This is simply one of the best sounding speakers out there. To be clear, it’s only smart insofar as it can play music from your favorite streaming services using Wi-Fi and offers smartphone app connectivity — it doesn’t have Alexa or the Google Assistant built in. But you can use an Echo or Nest speaker to control playback with your voice.

Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off): The Sonos Era 100 is our pick for the best midrange smart speaker. We like the excellent sound quality plus it pairs well with other Sonos devices. It has Alexa built-in, so it can handle regular smart home duties, but it’ll also make your music sound far better than any spherical Echo can.

Sonos Era 300 for $359 ($90 off): This is a return to a low we've tracked before on one of Sonos's larger speakers. It went all-in on spatial audio, but as we found in our review, those results are hit or miss. However, the speaker itself delivers excellent sound quality, is easy to set up and has a line-in option as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Also at Adorama. 

Sonos Roam 2 for $139 ($40 off): Sonos also makes the best portable smart speaker, according to our guide. We like the good sound quality and strong bass, as well as the fact that it connects via both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Also at Sonos.

Sonos Move 2 for $359 ($90 off): The Move is an upgrade on the Roam in every way (including the price). It earned an 80 in our review. We like that it’s a nice upgrade over the previous Move, with two tweeters for more detailed sound. The battery lasts a full 24 hours on a charge and the touch controls up top are very nice. It also has a line-in jack via USB-C, so you can hook up a turntable. Also at Sonos.

The best Amazon Echo smart speaker Cyber Monday deals

Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent music for its size. It gets our vote for the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room as well as trigger connected smart thermostat functions.

Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

Amazon Echo (4th Gen) for $50 ($50 off): If you plan to listen to a lot of music through your Echo, you may want to go with the larger model. The Echo has an upward-firing woofer and dual tweeters for sound that we said delivers “impressive bass thump and powerful mid-range frequencies.” It can add stuff to your shopping list and set a timer but is also capable of producing room-filling sound.

Amazon Echo Pop for $18 ($22 / 55 percent off): The smallest Echo speaker is the Pop, a half sphere that’s probably best suited to small rooms where it’ll primarily be used as a smart assistant, as opposed to a dedicated music maker. The money you save here could be used for the compatible wall mount if you want to save some counter space.

Amazon Echo Pop Kids for $23 ($27 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a Disney princess or Marvel hero skin and includes a six-month subscription to Amazon Kids+.

Amazon Echo Spot for $45 ($35 off): The Spot is technically still a speaker, though half of it is a display. Amazon discontinued this model for a few years, but brought it back in July. The half-moon screen can display the time, weather and the song that’s playing.

Other Cyber Monday smart speaker deals

Apple HomePod mini for $95 ($5 off): This is a slim, $5 discount, but it's the best price we're seeing for Cyber Monday. Back in July, Apple replaced this smart home speaker in Space Gray with a Midnight hue (they’re both black). The cover is made up of more recycled content this time, but the insides are the same, bringing you decent enough music quality and Siri’s occasionally helpful smarts. If you prefer the larger version, B&H Photo is selling the HomePod for $20 off and Apple itself is offering a $25 Apple gift card when you buy from its storefront. 

Samsung Music Frame for $248 ($150 off): Samsung first announced its Music Frame back in January at CES 2024. It takes its cue from the Frame TV that disguises itself as art. This wireless speaker has room for your own (physical) photo within its frame, along with two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers to spit out sound from your favorite streaming services. Also at Best Buy and directly from Samsung for $2 more.

Google Pixel Tablet with speaker dock for $459 ($140 off): The speaker dock qualifies what's really a tablet for this list. The charging dock sort of turns the tablet into a smart home display, like an Echo Show. You can also use it as a standalone slab, but as we found in our review, it's far more exciting as a home hub than a tablet. 

Google Nest Audio for $50 ($50 off): It’s more than four years old at this point, but the Nest Audio offers a decent ratio of sound quality to price, according to our review, and it’ll put the best of the Google Assistant’s assistance at your service. Also at Google.

Cyber Monday soundbar deals

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

For our guide to the best soundbars, our audio expert Billy Steele picked six winners out of the dozens of home theater speakers he and other Engadget staffers have tested over the years. This is a great chance to improve upon the audio from your (probably thin) TV.

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini for $500 ($300 off): We billed the Ambeo Mini as another premium option if the Samsung option doesn’t work for you. It requires a subwoofer to maximize the speaker’s potential, but once you do the immersive sound is truly impressive — especially for the size.

Sonos Ray for $169 ($110 off): A soundbar doesn’t have to be huge to make a big difference in the sound quality coming from the direction of your TV. Billy recommends this one for smaller rooms and for people who want an easy setup. I personally got one of these last year and immediately noticed a difference in dialogue clarity. Also at Amazon.

Sonos Beam for $369 ($130 off): It only has one HDMI port and no upward-firing drivers, but the Beam delivers solid sound quality with support for Dolby Atmos, and of course, it pairs nicely with other Sonos speakers. Plus it’s relatively compact. Also at Amazon and Adorama.

Sonos Sub Mini for $343 ($86 off): We found this smaller subwoofer to be the perfect complement to the Sonos Ray or Beam soundbars in our review. It's a more affordable model that's more practical for smaller spaces than the Sonos Sub (which isn't on sale).

Samsung HW-Q990C for $1,049 ($949 off): The top spot in our soundbar guide isn’t cheap, but this Cyber Monday deal helps. And, for the price, you get a complete home theater audio setup complete with soundbar, subwoofer and two rear surround speakers. Samsung’s HW-Q990C may not have the prettiest name, but the sound quality is a thing of beauty, earning it an 89 in our review. 

Expired Cyber Monday speaker deals

JBL Xtreme 4 for $300 ($80 off): The latest generation of our recommended JBL Xtreme adds around nine hours of battery life and a replaceable battery. It’s also made from more recycled content and throws in some AI-powered tuning. Also at Target. The previous generation model is $250.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-speaker-deals-for-2024-big-savings-on-jbl-sonos-echo-marshall-and-more-182824313.html?src=rss

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© Engadget/Sonos/Beats/JBL/Amazon

What can you get for under $50? Turns out, quite a bit. For Cyber Monday, we’re seeing dozens of deals for smaller devices like speakers and Bluetooth trackers, as well as accessories like cables and chargers — all of which fall well (or just) below the $50 mark. Of course, if we added every random speck of cheap tech, this list could be a hundred miles long. 

Instead, everything here is selected from the things we recommend, be it from testing for buying guides, devices we suggest in our gift guides or gadgets from brands we know to be good buys. One thing to note is that these deals may not last long past Monday night. Judging from history, many of these deals will end when the day does. So if you see something on sale here, you probably don't want to wait. Here are the best Cyber Monday tech deals for under $50.

Cyber Monday tech deals under $20

Amazon

• Amazon Echo Pop (2023) for $18 ($22 off): Amazon’s smallest Echo will fit in any room in your home, so Alexa can add things to your shopping list, set a timer, or answer questions (like “What’s a bomb cyclone?” or “Who is Penelope Cruz married to?”) from anywhere.

• Anker Nano Charger 30W USB-C for $13 ($7 off): This compact 30-watt wall charger is smaller than others of its wattage and can speedily juice up an iPhone or Android handset. Anker is one of Engadget’s most recommended accessory brands and this is the model we picked for our fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Anker Nano power bank with built-in USB-C connector for $16 ($4 off): It’s the size of an old-timey lipstick case but packs enough juice (and its own USB-C plug) to get a dying smartphone back in service with at least a half charge. It’s one of the winners in our guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10 ($30 off): As part of the Xbox sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Street Fighter 6 and Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. And if you’re looking for more deals on game titles, check out Jeff Dunn’s gaming roundup.

• Glocusent Tri-head clip-on book light for $16 ($4 off): Glocusent’s book light can stand on a desk or clip to a book and casts a wide swath of light across the widest of pages. It’s a pick in our book lovers gift guide.

• Beshon European travel plug adapter (two-pack) for $13 ($6 off with Prime): If you’re planning any trips abroad, take one of these, as Engadget’s Valentina Palladino recommends in our gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.

• Amazon Smart Plug for $13 ($12 off): If you rely on Alexa as your smart home assistant, this is an affordable and reliable way to control your lamps, fans and Christmas lights. It was one of the more reliable and fuss-free plugs I tested.

• Anker Nano II 713 Charger (45W) for $20 ($20 off): This 45-watt charger has a single USB-C port and will let you take advantage of the faster charging speeds newer devices offer (just make sure you have an equally robust cable). It’s one of the picks in our iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Chipolo ONE for $20 ($5 off): Our favorite Bluetooth tracker overall is loud, compact and readily tells you when you’ve left your keys (or whatever else you attach them to) behind. If you’re looking for a finding network to locate things you’ve lost out in the wild, this isn’t the one to get, but for everyday locating misplaced keys in the house, this is great. 

• Belkin Apple AirTag secure holder for $15 ($5 off): AirTags are great, and we recommend them for iPhone users, but they have no built-in method for attaching them. This is one of the gizmos we recommend in our guide to secure the tag to your luggage and more. Also at Amazon.

• Elevation Lab TagVault (2 Pack) for $16 ($4 off with Prime): Another recommendation from our guide, Elevation Labs fabric mount is ideal for sticking an AirTag inside your coat, backpack or anything else you want to track. Also at Elevation Lab without Prime.

• PopSockets Phone Grip for $15 ($15 off): You can save 50 percent on the Pop Socket we recommend in our guide to iPhone accessories. Many other PopSockets are on sale directly from PopSocket for Cyber Monday.

• J-Tech Digital Ergonomic Mouse for $17 ($8 off): The best budget ergo mouse has a vertical grip that’s a little wider than others of its ilk, which we found to be more comfortable. There are RGB lights, which can be fun. But which can also be turned off.

• WAVLINK USB-C hub for $13 ($13 off): The budget pick in our guide to USB-C hubs has an HDMI port, three USB connections (two type-A and one type-C) plus a generous 10-inch cable to give you more options when plugging into your laptop or tablet.

• Anker USB-C 240W Bio-Braided cable for $12 ($5 off): A fast charger won’t do much if the cable isn’t rated to handle the wattage. This 240W Anker cable is pulled from our list of the best iPhone accessories and will charge those devices (or any other rechargeable item with a USB-C port) as quickly as the brick and device will allow.

• Samsung Evo Select (2024) (256GB) microSD card for $18 ($4 off): The Evo Select is our favorite microSD card in the budget bracket. Its mediocre write speeds make it less-than-ideal in a camera, but if you just want to add space to a Nintendo Switch or Android tablet for cheap, this is great. Also at Samsung.

• Peak Design Packable Tote for $16 ($4 off): We recommend this handy bag in our gift guide for travelers. We like that it zips shut, is water resistant and has a padded shoulder/hand strap. Plus it packs into itself and takes up just a little more room than a deck of cards.

The Best Cyber Monday subscription deals under $50

Max / Engadget

• Disney+ Hulu bundle (one-year) for $36 ($96 off): This Disney+ Cyber Monday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.

• Max subscription for $18 (six months) ($42 off): You can get six months of Max with Ads for $2.99 monthly instead of the usual $9.99. The subscription will automatically renew at that rate each month until the end of the promo period, when it'll automatically renew for the full $10. New and returning subscribers are eligible through Max.com, Roku, Apple and other streaming ecosystems, but is only open to new subscribers via Amazon Fire TV.

• Paramount+ Showtime (two months) for $6 ($20 off): New and former subscribers can get two months of Paramount+ Essential (with ads, usually $8 monthly) or Paramount+ with Showtime (ad-free, usually $13 monthly) for just $3 per month. It's one of our favorite streaming services and the best place to watch as much Star Trek as you want. As with all subscriptions, remember the standard pricing will auto-renew after two months.

• Peacock (one year) for $20 for ($75 off): New and returning subscribers can get a full year of Peacock for just $20. It's also one of our favorite streamings services and has some excellent shows like Mrs. Davis, Poker Face and Killing It. Note this is the ad-supported tier, it is only available through Peacock's website and will auto renew after the year is up. 

• Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $1 ($29 off): If you don’t currently subscribe to Audible you can get three months of the audiobook service's Premium Plus plan for $1. The service is usually $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. Premium Plus gives you access to the Audible Plus library, and lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month.

• Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $0 for one month ($12 off): Amazon's ebook subscription service gives you access to a selected catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading as well as some Audible audiobooks and magazines. Prime members can get two months for only $5.

• Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need, and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.  

Cyber Monday tech deals under $30

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent sound. We named it the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room and trigger connected thermostat functions. You can also get it with a free smart bulb for the same price. 

• Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 for $21 ($9 off): If you have a Samsung smartphone, this is the tracker we recommend. The finding network isn’t as vast as Apple’s, but in our tests, the accuracy was good and the physical design is one of the best of its kind.

• Loop Experience 2 ear plugs for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Billy Steele reviewed the Loop Switch 2 earbuds at a concert and was impressed by what he heard (and didn’t hear). While the Switch model has three settings, these plugs just offer one level of noise dampening — and the “Experience” setting is the one Billy liked best.

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29 ($21 off): On our list of the best streaming devices we named the Roku Streaming Stick 4K the best pick for those wanting an ocean of free and live content. By combining Roku’s own free channels with content from other FAST apps this simple stick turns any screen into a portal to a near-infinite amount of movies and shows that you won’t pay a dime for. Also at Target and direct from Roku for $1 more.

• Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics and we named a number of Soundcore audio devices to our buying guides. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models from Anker and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

• Anker Nano 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also at Anker within an auto-applied code.

• HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 gaming headset for $30 ($20 off): Though we ultimately recommend getting an external mic along with your wired headphones if you need to chat while playing, the Cloud Stinger 2 is our pick for a budget gaming headset. Also at Best Buy and direct from Hyper.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A (4-pack) for $30 ($20 off): Our favorite smart plug overall connects to all the major smart home platforms, including from Apple, Google and Amazon. It’s perfectly simple to set up, stays connected and makes it easy to make your lights do what you want them to. Also at B&H Photo. 

• EarFun Free 2S wireless earbuds for $25 ($15 off): These don’t sound as sharp as other budget earbuds we recommend and there’s no noise cancellation or transparency mode, but if you need a pair of earbuds under $50 (or under $30 now) these are decently comfortable with a sound that’s a bit richer than others in its price range.

• Amazon Echo Buds for $25 ($25 off): Our favorite budget earbuds with an open ear design are made by Amazon. They don’t go all the way in your ear so you’ll hear more of what’s going on around you. The sound is decently separated, though we recommend tweaking the EQ in the Alexa app to bring down the treble a touch.

• Anker USB-C Hub 341 for $25 ($10 off): Anker’s seven-port hub lets you use a range of extras with your tablet, which is why we named it one of the best accessories for an iPad. In addition to extra USB connections, you also get a microSD and standard SD card slots.

• Logitech Signature M650 wireless mouse for $30 ($5 off): This portable mouse is great for anyone who changes locations when they work because it connects quickly and easily slips in a pack. It’s one of the gifts we recommend in our stocking stuffer guide. Also at Staples and direct from Logitech.

• Baseus 30W Magnetic Power Bank for $25 ($20 off): An honorable mention in our battery guide, this small Baseus bank delivers a fast charge either wirelessly for MagSafe compatible iPhones or via the attached USB-C cable.

• Betrayal at The House on The Hill board game for $30 ($26 off): This one made the list in our board game gift guide as a good pick for horror fans. Three to six players explore a haunted mansion, working together until one player reveals themselves as the traitor. It comes with 50 scenarios to keep you entertained evening after evening. 

• Settlers of Catan board game for $25 ($19 off): It's hard to find anyone into board games who hasn't yet played Catan, but this trading and settling game is a classic for a reason. Get it and prepare for some lively sheep bartering.   

• Ransom Notes board game for $28 ($7 off with Prime only): Engadget’s Karissa Bell recommends this party board game in our gift guide thanks to its hilarity-inspiring appeal. It forces players to communicate complex concepts using a given number of word magnet tiles. 

Cyber Monday tech deals under $40

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Xbox Wireless Controller for $40 ($20 off): We’ve seen this deal before, but it’s a decent discount on a necessary accessory. The brighter colors are $45, but if you're happy with the standard-issue black or white, you'll save the most. Also at Target.

• Fellow Atmos Vacuum canister for $32 ($8 off): Only people who spend top dollars on the good coffee or loose leaf tea need this rather pricey canister. But it does the job of removing the air so oxidation can’t occur. As recommended in our guide to gifts for tea lovers. 

• Anker 525 charging station for $36 ($30 off): This is one of the handy items that makes working from home easier, as we recommend in our WFH gift guide. It offers four USB ports up front (both Type-A and Type-C) and three extra AC plugs in the back. 

• Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $35 ($35 off): The newest Blink Mini wired security camera came out earlier this year and it supports 1080p video recordings, a wider field of view than the previous model and improved low-light performance. It may be wired, but you can use it outside with the $10 weather-resistant adapter.

• JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $33 ($27 off): Amazon's most powerful dongle supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6E and live picture-in-picture mode so you can see security camera feeds directly on your TV as you're watching a show or movie. In addition to being a solid streamer, it also makes a good retro gaming device.

• Blink Outdoor 4 (2023) $38 ($52 off): Amazon’s latest outdoor Blink camera works well (and only) with Alexa, letting you check on your surroundings using the app or a compatible display (like an Echo Show or a Fire TV.

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $40 ($30 off): Engadget’s Mat Smith gave this title a favorable review earlier this year. It helps if you’ve played its predecessor and it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive.

• Govee Smart LED Light Bars for $30 ($20 off): We like Govee’s playful smart lights and recommend the brand in our guide to smart bulbs. These light bars made the list in our stocking stuffer gift guide thanks to their versatility (they can stand up, lay flat or be mounted) and there’s no end to the multiple colors and sequences you can program.

• Razer Basilisk V3 ergonomic gaming mouse for $40 ($30 off): This is the gaming option in our guide to the best ergonomic mice. It’s super light and glides across multiple surfaces. The buttons are customizable and the thumb rest is comfortable. Also at Amazon.

• UGREEN Revodok Pro 109 USB-C hub for $38 ($16 off): The top pick in our buying guide to USB-C hubs has a good array of ports, the ability to support two 4K monitors, and a nice long host cable so you can easily arrange it on your desk.

• Moft Tripod iPhone Wallet for $40 ($10 off with Prime): Moft's origami-inspired accessories tend to be clever and surprisingly useful. This one is no different, combining a single-card wallet with a dual-height stand. I was impressed with the sturdiness of the stand in such a thin package. If you don't need to carry a single card, the wallet-less version is $32 right now.

• Keychron C3 Pro mechanical keyboard for $33 at Amazon ($25 off, Prime only): Here’s a decent mechanical keyboard that’s surprisingly affordable. The C3 Pro is the budget pick in our keyboard buying guide. We found the keycaps a bit slick, but its typing feel and sound are still levels above the membrane boards you usually find in this price range.  

• Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($20 off): We named this compact speaker in our guide to holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.

Cyber Monday tech deals under $50

Amazon

• Astro Bot for $50 ($10 off): Engadget's Jessica Conditt called this inventive platformer nothing less than “one of the best games Sony has ever made” in her review. It went as low as $43 previously, but this is the best price we've seen otherwise. Also at PlayStation and Target.

• JBL Clip 5 for $49.95 ($30 off): JBL makes a good number of the winners in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. We didn’t review this one formally for our guide, but it’s one of the more affordable models the brand makes and the clip plus dunkable water resistance makes it easy to bring JBL’s signature dynamic range just about anywhere. Also at Walmart.

• Twelve South AirFly Pro for $44 ($11 off): Some in-flight screens let you connect your AirPods via Bluetooth. Some don’t. TwelveSouth’s handy gadget will help if you get stuck in the latter situation. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and sends the audio to your earbuds wirelessly. Of course it’ll also work when you’re on the ground too. We recommend it in our gifts for dad’s guide.

• Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we've seen on it. It's part of a larger Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent (though many of those deals hit above the $50 mark).

• Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023) for $45 ($45 off): The newest Echo Show 5 made our list of the best smart displays because it doubles as a “stellar alarm clock” with the auto-dimming screen, tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm. Plus the tiny, five-inch screen is perfect for a nightstand. Also, oddly, at Best Buy.

• Amazon Echo Spot (2024) $45 ($35 off): The mini display just shows simple data like the time, weather or song that’s playing while the other half of the circle plays music. It’s an updated version of a model Amazon discontinued a couple of years ago and now it’s back.

• Elecom Nestout power bank 15,000mAh for $48 ($12 off): For outdoor charging, this is one of the few portable batteries that can handle a dunk in water (as long as you’ve remembered to screw on the port covers). We recommend it in our guide and particularly like the handy accessories like a tripod stand and light that you can buy to go on it. Also at Nestout for $1 more.

• 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller for $48 at Amazon ($12 off, Prime only): Engadget’s Jeff Dunn raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC, calling it comfortable with durable Hall effect joysticks that should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers. 

• Soundcore by Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds for $45 ($35 off): Our top budget wireless earbuds are just $5 shy of their all time low. They have outstanding active noise cancellation for the price and offer a warm and pleasant default sound.

• Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom and is the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

• Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($38 off with coupon): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit (see price in cart).

• Anker PowerConf C200 2K webcam for $48 ($12 off): The budget pick in our buying guide to webcams is back down to a low it’s hit a few times before. We like the excellent video clarity and easy set up and customization. Also at Anker with a coupon code.

• Thermacell Mosquito Repeller for $43 ($8 off): The mosquitos may be gone for the winter, but we all know they'll be back next year. This is one of the few mosquito-repelling products we recommend, so grab one now for a less irritating summer next year. 

• Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV for $44 (20 percent off): This set recreates the scene in which Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers battled the Rebels, and it includes seven Star Wars minifigures. Also at Target. 

• MOFT Folding Laptop Standing Desk for $48 ($12 off with Prime): It's a little heavy, but this clever folding contraption supports even large laptops at three different levels, including a standing desk configuration that's surprisingly sturdy. It's a pick in our MacBook accessories guide. 

Expired Cyber Monday deals

• Stanley IceFlow tumbler with straw for $23 ($18 off): Our resident grill master, Billy Steele recommends having a reliable source of frosty beverage at the ready when you grill. This is the one he picked for our grilling gear buyer’s guide.

• Mysterium board game for $30 ($25 off): Our own Valentina Palladino recommends this game to anyone who loves a good mystery. It takes Clue to the next level and is best played with friends and family on a dark and stormy night.

• OtterBox Performance Fast Charge Power Bank 20,000 mAh for $32 ($23 off): This is the larger-capacity model of the mid-range battery we recommend in our guide to power banks. Not only does it look cool, it’s durable and charges up a phone quickly through either the USB-C or USB-A port.

• TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE315) for $23 ($27 off): This is our pick for the best budget Wi-Fi extender. It's easy to set up and offers good performance for the price. Just keep in mind it has smaller (1,500 square-foot) coverage and no support for Wi-Fi 6e.

• Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price we’ve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Best Buy.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $40 ($30 off): Nintendo announced its Black Friday deals early, but they didn’t go live until November 25. The big callout here is Tears of the Kingdom. We found the game to be an absolute delight as it builds on all of the concepts and story introduced in Breath of the Wild. Also at Walmart.

• Anker 633 Magnetic Battery for $40 ($15 off): Choose from a MagSafe option or the 20W Power Delivery port via a USB-C cable (which charges things faster). The handy kickstand means you can look at your phone while it charges and that port lets you charge non-MagSafe devices too.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-70-best-cyber-monday-tech-deals-under-50-181516184.html?src=rss

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© Engadget/Amazon/Anker/JBL

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to buy a new iPad, AirPods or Mac, Cyber Monday is your chance. Starting about a week before Black Friday, we began seeing all-time lows and first-time discounts on nearly everything Apple released this year and nearly all of them are still live.

While it’s tough to find direct, non-carrier deals on iPhones, the rest of Apple’s lineup is on sale from retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart and more. (Apple’s own website currently has a gift card promotion, but no discounts.) We’ve rounded up the best Cyber Monday Apple deals you can still get in the final hours of the sale, along with links to our reviews so you can hear our advice before you buy. 

The best Cyber Monday Apple AirPods deals

Apple has four models of AirPods right now: The AirPods Pro 2, the over-ear AirPods Max and two AirPods 4, one with active noise cancellation and one without. Apple has been doing a lot of interesting things with their headphones lately, making this a good time get a pair. 

• Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) for $500 ($49 off): Apple’s only over-ear headphones haven’t had a full revamp in a few years. When the iPhone 16 came out, Apple swapped out the lightning port for a USB-C connector and introduced new colors. While the overall design and build is a bit old at this point, they still deliver balanced sound in a premium package.

• Apple AirPods 4 (standard) for $119 ($10 off): Here's a minor discount on Apple’s newest personal audio device. They were announced alongside the iPhone 16 back in September. There are two versions of the AirPods 4, this is the standard version without active noise cancellation. Both have a redesigned shape for a better fit and offer an open ear design (as opposed to the closed-ear shape of the Pro model). We gave them an 88 in our review. Also at Target. 

• Apple AirPods 4 (ANC) for $165 ($14 off): The new buds with ANC got a respectable 86 in that same review. We noted they had pro-level features like letting you nod or shake your head to respond to Siri’s questions and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Also at Target. 

The best Cyber Monday Apple Watch deals

If you take steps or do a workout and you’re not wearing a smartwatch, does it really count? Of course, the Apple Watch is more than a fitness tracker, it’s also a shortcut to your iPhone notifications, a handy Siri portal and an always-on weather forecaster. Plus it tells time. While they’re not cheap, these Apple Cyber Monday deals should help.

• Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): This is the lowest price we've seen yet on an Apple Watch Series 10. It is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can buy and has a slightly thinner and lighter design, a wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, plus all of the watchOS 11 features that Apple recently released. Also at Walmart.

• Apple Watch SE for $149 ($100 off): Apple’s budget smartwatch hasn’t had an update since 2022. There were rumblings that we’d see an update with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10 but that didn’t happen. But if you just need a reliable wrist companion for your iPhone and an accurate fitness and workout tracker, this will serve. This is a brand new all-time low. Also available at Amazon.

• Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $719 ($80 off): The Ultra model is big and has a big price tag to match, so this discount might help. It’s our Apple Watch recommendation for adventurers and athletes thanks to its specialized features like a depth meter, SOS siren, and dual frequency GPS for more accurate route tracking.

The best Cyber Monday Apple iPad deals

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The line between Apple’s tablets and laptops is a little blurry at this point, especially with the release of the iPad Pro this year, which (at the time) housed the company’s most powerful chip. The iPad Air is our current pick for the best iPad you can buy and we were delighted by the iPad mini that came out just last month. The only problem is iPads are among the more expensive tablets you can buy. Hopefully these Cyber Monday iPad deals help out.

• Apple iPad (2021, 9th gen) for $200 ($129 off): Apple discontinued this model with the release of the new iPad Pro and Air models earlier this year. In what's likely an effort to get rid of current stock, the price is down to a new record low. The 9th generation iPad is the former budget pick in our guide to the best Apple tablets and will serve well as a casual browsing, streaming and game playing machine. 

• Apple iPad Pro (2024, 7th gen, 11-inch) for $899 ($100 off): The latest iPad Pro came out back in May and, notably, was the first Apple device to sport the M4 system-on-a-chip. We gave it an 84 in our review calling it an engineering marvel and the best screen our reviewer had ever seen. It’s also our pick for the best iPad for power users. The only problem is it’s very expensive, but this sale helps a little. Also at Amazon.

• Apple iPad Air (2024, 6th gen, 11-inch) for $499 ($100 off): The iPad Air is the Apple tablet we recommend for most people in our buying guide and it earned a high score of 91 in our review. It strikes the best balance between performance, price and features of all slabs in the lineup. It has an M2 chip which is really overkill for casual browsing and gaming, but will ensure that your tablet is compatible with the latest Apple Intelligence tricks and demanding games. Also at Amazon.   

The best Cyber Monday Mac and MacBook deals

Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Apple held a quiet Mac Week at the tail end of October in which it announced the new desktop M4 Mac mini, the all-in-one M4 iMac and the M4 MacBook Pro laptop. The 2024 M3 MacBook Air from back in March is still the model we recommend for most people.

• Apple MacBook Air (2024, M3, 13-inch) for $869 ($130 off): The latest MacBook Air hit an all-time low a couple days ago, but that deal appears to have expired. Right now a $130 discount is the best we're seeing. This is our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in — double the previous base amount so it can tackle the demands of the burgeoning Apple Intelligence.  

• Apple MacBook Air (2022, M2, 13-inch) for $749 ($250 off): The previous MacBook Air has a (still very fast) M2 processor and it’s our previous pick for the best overall laptop for most people. This is the 13-inch model with 16GB of RAM. This is a return to an all-time low. Also at Amazon. 

• Apple iMac (2024, M4, 24-inch) for $1,208 ($149 off with coupon): Apple just released the refreshed iMac last month, but now the silver model is already on sale. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia. Also at B&H Photo for $100 off. 

• Apple MacBook Pro (2024, M4 Pro, 14-inch) for $1,399 ($200 off): Different colors are seeing different discounts, but this is the lowest we've seen the new MB Pro go in the month or so it's been out. The main update Apple gave to its most powerful laptops is the faster than ever M4 chip. Not much else changed, but that’s not a bad thing as the Pros are excellent machines that we recommend to pro users. They have enough power to handle even the most demanding video, audio and any other productivity tasks you can throw at it.

The best Apple Cyber Monday deals on Apple accessories

Apple

• Apple AirTags (four-pack) for $70 ($30 off): These are the Bluetooth trackers we recommend if you have an iPhone. They allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings using the Find My app and nearly every other nearby iPhone. Note that you’ll need an AirTag holder or case to use them with your keys and a new generation is rumored for next year. The record low for the four pack is $70. Also at Walmart and Target.

• Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): It’s true that you may need a roadmap to help you figure out which stylus is compatible with which iPad. The Pro is the newest Apple Pencil and it’ll work with the newest iPad Air and Pro models and adds haptic feedback, squeeze and barrel roll movements to the mix of features. The all-time low was $90, but this is still a decent deal. Also at Amazon.  

• Apple Pencil (2nd gen, USB-C) for $69 ($10 off): The USB-C Apple Pencil was released late last year and effectively serves as Apple's "budget" stylus. It works with the widest range of Apple tablets, though not all of them so check before you buy. This is about $4 more than the all-time low. Also at Amazon. 

• Apple Pencil tips (4-pack) for $12 ($7 off): Search for Apple Pencil replacement tips and you'll find plenty of third party manufacturers with options available. But this is one of the areas where I think it's best to go with the original manufacturer. I bought these tips and they've served well — I just wish I'd paid $12 instead of $19.  

• Apple Magic Mouse (Black) for $80 ($19 off): The black model of Apple's popular mouse has an updated USB-C charging port but, confoundingly, it's still on the bottom where you can't use it while recharging. Still a charge will last for about month and it should reliably connect to any iPad or Mac you own.  

• Apple Watch fast charger for $24 ($4 off): If you need to replace an aging Apple Watch charger, this might be the best time to buy. It's a mild discount, but the lowest the official, Apple-made accessory has gone all year. 

Expired Apple Cyber Monday deals

• Apple iPad (2022, 10th gen) for $259 ($90 off): We saw Apple's standard slate go as low as $250 at Amazon for Black Friday, which was a new all-time low price. But it seems to be going in and out of stock while the price fluctuates between $250 and $279 at both Amazon and Walmart. The standard iPad didn’t get an upgrade during Apple’s Let Loose event back in May, though it did get a quiet price reduction by $100 to $349, so this is between $75 and $100 off the list price. This is our current favorite budget iPad because it’s a capable tablet that’s great for casual browsing, streaming and gaming. It can even handle everyday productivity tasks well. Also at Amazon.

• Beats Studio Pro for $160 ($189 off): Apple famously paid a healthy sum to acquire Beats around a decade ago, so there may not be a bitten apple on the side, but these are nonetheless Apple products. We gave the Studio Pro headphones a review score of 81 when they came out last year, thanks to improved sound quality. They offer "near-zero" distortion, even at the highest volumes and go for 40 hours on a charge.

• Apple iPad mini (2024, 7th gen) for $400 ($100 off with coupon): A coupon brings a new low price to what is technically Apple’s newest iPad. The mini was just released this October right before the announcement of a few new Macs — the new Pro and Air tablet came out in May along with the other iPads. In his review, Engadget’s Nathan Ingraham called it a “necessary update to the best small tablet on the market.” Also at Target and Adorama.

• Apple Mac mini (2024, M4) for $529 ($70 off): This is Apple’s $599 example of good things, small packages. It's down to $529, which is about $30 more than it went for last week with a coupon, but if that deal doesn't come back, this is still a decent discount on a brand new Mac. The five-inch by five-inch box can tackle some serious workloads and remains the most affordable entry point to accessing Apple’s latest silicon. We gave it a solid score of 90 in our review, praising the incredibly fast M4 chip and useful ports.

• Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) for $154 ($95 off): This is a new low price for what we call the best earbuds iPhone users can get. Recently, Apple’s tiny white gizmos got even better with the addition of hearing aid features. They have a remarkably natural-sounding transparency mode, solid active noise cancellation and make a great go-between for Siri’s assistance. Also at 'Walmart.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-cyber-monday-apple-deals-on-airpods-ipads-macbooks-and-airtags-we-could-find-180105121.html?src=rss

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© Engadget/Apple

The expensive tech gets all the attention — thousand-dollar phones and $500 tablets. But the supporting players, the cables and batteries and chargers that make those devices work properly, are just as important. Right now for Black Friday, many of those smaller gadgets are on sale for less than $50 even after the day has passed. And there are even some standalone devices like earbuds and smart speakers that fall well below the threshold.

We’ve tested scads of these smaller, less expensive tech for Engadget buying guides, including the best power banks, iPad accessories, smart plugs and microSD cards. Here, we’ve gathered up all the Black Friday tech deals under $50 that you can still get on gadgets we recommend.

Black Friday tech deals under $20

Amazon

• Amazon Echo Pop (2023) for $18 ($22 off): Amazon’s smallest Echo will fit in any room in your home, so Alexa can add things to your shopping list, set a timer, or answer questions (like “What’s a bomb cyclone?” or “Who is Penelope Cruz married to?”) from anywhere.

• Anker Nano Charger 30W USB-C for $13 ($7 off): This compact 30-watt wall charger is smaller than others of its wattage and can speedily juice up an iPhone or Android handset. Anker is one of Engadget’s most recommended accessory brands and this is the model we picked for our fast charger guide. Get the same deal at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Anker Nano power bank with built-in USB-C connector for $16 ($4 off): It’s the size of an old-timey lipstick case but packs enough juice (and its own USB-C plug) to get a dying smartphone back in service with at least a half charge. It’s one of the winners in our guide to power banks. Also direct from Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $10 ($30 off): As part of the Xbox Black Friday sale, you can save up to 55 percent on titles (some titles are going as low as $5). A number of our top picks for the best Xbox games are included in the sale, including this Halo collection, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Street Fighter 6 and Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred. And if you’re looking for more deals on game titles, check out Jeff Dunn’s Black Friday gaming roundup.

• Glocusent Tri-head clip-on book light for $16 ($4 off): Glocusent’s book light can stand on a desk or clip to a book and casts a wide swath of light across the widest of pages. It’s a pick in our book lovers gift guide.

• Beshon European travel plug adapter (two-pack) for $13 ($6 off with Prime): If you’re planning any trips abroad, take one of these, as Engadget’s Valentina Palladino recommends in our gifts for travelers guide. They come in versions made for Ireland, China and Japan, too.

• Elden Ring (PS4,PS5, Xbox) for $20 ($40 off): One of our favorite games is down to the best price we’ve tracked. It feels impressively handmade despite its epic scale that feels big but never superfluous. Also at Amazon.

• Amazon Smart Plug for $13 ($12 off): If you rely on Alexa as your smart home assistant, this is an affordable and reliable way to control your lamps, fans and Christmas lights. It was one of the more reliable and fuss-free plugs I tested.

• Anker Nano II 713 Charger (45W) for $20 ($20 off): This 45-watt charger has a single USB-C port and will let you take advantage of the faster charging speeds newer devices offer (just make sure you have an equally robust cable). It’s one of the picks in our iPad accessories guide. Also at Anker with an auto-applied code.

• Chipolo ONE for $20 ($5 off): Our favorite Bluetooth tracker overall is loud, compact and readily tells you when you’ve left your keys (or whatever else you attach them to) behind. If you’re looking for a finding network to locate things you’ve lost out in the wild, this isn’t the one to get, but for everyday locating misplaced keys in the house, this is great. 

• Belkin Apple AirTag secure holder for $15 ($5 off): AirTags are great, and we recommend them for iPhone users, but they have no built-in method for attaching them. This is one of the gizmos we recommend in our guide to secure the tag to your luggage and more. Also at Amazon.

• Elevation Lab TagVault (2 Pack) for $16 ($4 off with Prime): Another recommendation from our guide, Elevation Labs fabric mount is ideal for sticking an AirTag inside your coat, backpack or anything else you want to track. Also at Elevation Lab without Prime.

• PopSockets Phone Grip for $15 ($15 off): You can save 50 percent on the Pop Socket we recommend in our guide to iPhone accessories. Many other PopSockets are on sale directly from PopSocket for Black Friday.

• J-Tech Digital Ergonomic Mouse for $17 ($8 off): The best budget ergo mouse has a vertical grip that’s a little wider than others of its ilk, which we found to be more comfortable. There are RGB lights, which can be fun. But which can also be turned off.

• WAVLINK USB-C hub for $13 ($13 off): The budget pick in our guide to USB-C hubs has an HDMI port, three USB connections (two type-A and one type-C) plus a generous 10-inch cable to give you more options when plugging into your laptop or tablet.

• Anker USB-C 240W Bio-Braided cable for $12 ($5 off): A fast charger won’t do much if the cable isn’t rated to handle the wattage. This 240W Anker cable is pulled from our list of the best iPhone accessories and will charge those devices (or any other rechargeable item with a USB-C port) as quickly as the brick and device will allow.

• Peak Design Packable Tote for $16 ($4 off): We recommend this handy bag in our gift guide for travelers. We like that it zips shut, is water resistant and has a padded shoulder/hand strap. Plus it packs into itself and takes up just a little more room than a deck of cards.

The Best Black Friday subscription deals under $50

Max / Engadget

• Disney+ Hulu bundle (one-year) for $36 ($96 off): This Disney+ Black Friday deal gets you the ad-supported tiers of both Disney+ and Hulu (known as the Duo Basic bundle) for only $3 per month for one year. It's one of the best streaming deals of the seasons since it gives you the ability to catch up on all those classic Disney holiday movies, and the thousands of episodes of TV that Hulu has.

• Max subscription for $18 (6-month) ($42 off): You can get six months of Max with Ads for $2.99 monthly instead of the usual $9.99. The subscription will automatically renew at that rate each month until the end of the promo period, when it'll automatically renew for the full $10. New and returning subscribers are eligible through Max.com, Roku, Apple and other streaming ecosystems, but is only open to new subscribers via Amazon Fire TV.

• Paramount+ Showtime (two months) for $6 ($20 off): New and former subscribers can get two months of Paramount+ Essential (with ads, usually $8 monthly) or Paramount+ with Showtime (ad-free, usually $13 monthly) for just $3 per month. It's one of our favorite streaming services and the best place to watch as much Star Trek as you want. As with all subscriptions, remember the standard pricing will auto-renew after two months.

• Peacock (one year) for $20 for ($75 off): New and returning subscribers can get a full year of Peacock for just $20. It's also one of our favorite streamings services and has some excellent shows like Mrs. Davis, Poker Face and Killing It. Note this is the ad-supported tier, it is only available through Peacock's website and will auto renew after the year is up. 

• Audible Premium Plus (3-month) for $1 ($29 off): If you don’t currently subscribe to Audible you can get three months of the audiobook service's Premium Plus plan for $1. The service is usually $15 per month after a 30-day free trial. Premium Plus gives you access to the Audible Plus library, and lets you keep one title from a curated selection of audiobooks each month.

• Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $0 for one month ($12 off): Amazon's ebook subscription service gives you access to a selected catalog of thousands titles for unlimited reading as well as some Audible audiobooks and magazines. Prime members can get two months for only $5.

• Headspace annual plan for $35 ($35 off): Our top pick for the best meditation app has tons of courses that address specific anxieties and worries, a good in-app search engine that makes it easy to find the right meditation you need, and additional yoga routines, podcasts and music sessions to try out.  

Black Friday tech deals under $30

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent sound. We named it the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room and trigger connected thermostat functions. You can also get it with a free smart bulb for the same price. 

• Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

• Samsung Galaxy SmartTag2 for $21 ($9 off): If you have a Samsung smartphone, this is the tracker we recommend. The finding network isn’t as vast as Apple’s, but in our tests, the accuracy was good and the physical design is one of the best of its kind.

• Loop Experience 2 ear plugs for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Billy Steele reviewed the Loop Switch 2 earbuds at a concert and was impressed by what he heard (and didn’t hear). While the Switch model has three settings, these plugs just offer one level of noise dampening — and the “Experience” setting is the one Billy liked best.

• Roku Streaming Stick 4K for $29 ($21 off): On our list of the best streaming devices we named the Roku Streaming Stick 4K the best pick for those wanting an ocean of free and live content. By combining Roku’s own free channels with content from other FAST apps this simple stick turns any screen into a portal to a near-infinite amount of movies and shows that you won’t pay a dime for. Also at Target and direct from Roku for $1 more.

• Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics and we named a number of Soundcore audio devices to our buying guides. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models from Anker and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

• Anker Nano 3-in-1 10K portable charger for $30 ($15 off): A top pick in our best power banks guide, this 10K brick has a built-in USB-C cable so you don't need to remember to bring one with you, plus it has an extra USB-C port for charging other devices. Also at Anker within an auto-applied code.

• HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 gaming headset for $30 ($20 off): Though we ultimately recommend getting an external mic along with your wired headphones if you need to chat while playing, the Cloud Stinger 2 is our pick for a budget gaming headset. Also at Best Buy and direct from Hyper.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A (4-pack) for $30 ($20 off): Our favorite smart plug overall connects to all the major smart home platforms, including from Apple, Google and Amazon. It’s perfectly simple to set up, stays connected and makes it easy to make your lights do what you want them to. Also at B&H Photo.

• TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE315) for $23 ($27 off): This is our pick for the best budget Wi-Fi extender. It's easy to set up and offers good performance for the price. Just keep in mind it has smaller (1,500 square-foot) coverage and no support for Wi-Fi 6e. 

• EarFun Free 2S wireless earbuds for $25 ($15 off): These don’t sound as sharp as other budget earbuds we recommend and there’s no noise cancellation or transparency mode, but if you need a pair of earbuds under $50 (or under $30 now) these are decently comfortable with a sound that’s a bit richer than others in its price range.

• Amazon Echo Buds for $25 ($25 off): Our favorite budget earbuds with an open ear design are made by Amazon. They don’t go all the way in your ear so you’ll hear more of what’s going on around you. The sound is decently separated, though we recommend tweaking the EQ in the Alexa app to bring down the treble a touch.

• Anker USB-C Hub 341 for $25 ($10 off): Anker’s seven-port hub lets you use a range of extras with your tablet, which is why we named it one of the best accessories for an iPad. In addition to extra USB connections, you also get a microSD and standard SD card slots.

• Logitech Signature M650 wireless mouse for $30 ($5 off): This portable mouse is great for anyone who changes locations when they work because it connects quickly and easily slips in a pack. It’s one of the gifts we recommend in our stocking stuffer guide. Also at Staples and direct from Logitech.

• Baseus 30W Magnetic Power Bank for $25 ($20 off): An honorable mention in our battery guide, this small Baseus bank delivers a fast charge either wirelessly for MagSafe compatible iPhones or via the attached USB-C cable.

• Betrayal at The House on The Hill board game for $30 ($26 off): This one made the list in our board game gift guide as a good pick for horror fans. Three to six players explore a haunted mansion, working together until one player reveals themselves as the traitor. It comes with 50 scenarios to keep you entertained evening after evening.

• Mysterium board game for $35 ($20 off): Our own Valentina Palladino recommends this game to anyone who loves a good mystery. It takes Clue to the next level and is best played with friends and family on a dark and stormy night. 

• Settlers of Catan board game for $25 ($19 off): It's hard to find anyone into board games who hasn't yet played Catan, but this trading and settling game is a classic for a reason. Get it and prepare for some lively sheep bartering.    

Black Friday tech deals under $40

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

• Xbox Wireless Controller for $40 ($20 off): We’ve seen this deal before, but it’s a decent discount on a necessary accessory. The brighter colors are $45, but if you're happy with the standard-issue black or white, you'll save the most. Also at Best Buy and Target.

• Anker 525 charging station for $36 ($30 off): This is one of the handy items that makes working from home easier, as we recommend in our WFH gift guide. It offers four USB ports up front (both Type-A and Type-C) and three extra AC plugs in the back. 

• Blink Mini 2 (two-pack) for $35 ($35 off): The newest Blink Mini wired security camera came out earlier this year and it supports 1080p video recordings, a wider field of view than the previous model and improved low-light performance. It may be wired, but you can use it outside with the $10 weather-resistant adapter.

• JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy.

• Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $33 ($27 off): Amazon's most powerful dongle supports 4K streaming with Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6E and live picture-in-picture mode so you can see security camera feeds directly on your TV as you're watching a show or movie. In addition to being a solid streamer, it also makes a good retro gaming device.

• Anker 633 Magnetic Battery for $40 ($15 off): Choose from a MagSafe option or the 20W Power Delivery port via a USB-C cable (which charges things faster). The handy kickstand means you can look at your phone while it charges and that port lets you charge non-MagSafe devices too.

• Blink Outdoor 4 (2023) $38 ($52 off): Amazon’s latest outdoor Blink camera works well (and only) with Alexa, letting you check on your surroundings using the app or a compatible display (like an Echo Show or a Fire TV.

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for $40 ($30 off): Engadget’s Mat Smith gave this title a favorable review earlier this year. It helps if you’ve played its predecessor and it’s absolutely stuffed with things to do. This is a new low for the PS5 exclusive.

• Govee Smart LED Light Bars for $35 ($15 off): We like Govee’s playful smart lights and recommend the brand in our guide to smart bulbs. These light bars made the list in our stocking stuffer gift guide thanks to their versatility (they can stand up, lay flat or be mounted) and there’s no end to the multiple colors and sequences you can program.

• Razer Basilisk V3 ergonomic gaming mouse for $40 ($30 off): This is the gaming option in our guide to the best ergonomic mice. It’s super light and glides across multiple surfaces. The buttons are customizable and the thumb rest is comfortable. Also at Amazon.

• UGREEN Revodok Pro 109 USB-C hub for $38 ($16 off): The top pick in our buying guide to USB-C hubs has a good array of ports, the ability to support two 4K monitors, and a nice long host cable so you can easily arrange it on your desk.

• Moft Tripod iPhone Wallet for $40 ($10 off with Prime): Moft's origami-inspired accessories tend to be clever and surprisingly useful. This one is no different, combining a single-card wallet with a dual-height stand. I was impressed with the sturdiness of the stand in such a thin package. If you don't need to carry a single card, the wallet-less version is $32 right now.

• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $40 ($30 off): Nintendo announced its Black Friday deals early, but they didn’t go live until November 25. The big callout here is Tears of the Kingdom. We found the game to be an absolute delight as it builds on all of the concepts and story introduced in Breath of the Wild. 

• Keychron C3 Pro mechanical keyboard for $33 at Amazon ($25 off, Prime only): Here’s a decent mechanical keyboard that’s surprisingly affordable. The C3 Pro is the budget pick in our keyboard buying guide. We found the keycaps a bit slick, but its typing feel and sound are still levels above the membrane boards you usually find in this price range.  

• Sony SRS-XB100 wireless Bluetooth speaker for $38 ($20 off): We named this compact speaker in our guide to holiday gifts under $100. It delivers impressive bass for its size, has an IP67 rating, making it dust- and waterproof, and goes for 16 hours on a charge.

Black Friday tech deals under $50

Amazon

• JBL Clip 5 for $49.95 ($30 off): JBL makes a good number of the winners in our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers. We didn’t review this one formally for our guide, but it’s one of the more affordable models the brand makes and the clip plus dunkable water resistance makes it easy to bring JBL’s signature dynamic range just about anywhere. Also at Walmart.

• Twelve South AirFly Pro for $44 ($11 off): Some in-flight screens let you connect your AirPods via Bluetooth. Some don’t. TwelveSouth’s handy gadget will help if you get stuck in the latter situation. It plugs into the 3.5mm jack and sends the audio to your earbuds wirelessly. Of course it’ll also work when you’re on the ground too. We recommend it in our gifts for dad’s guide.

• Ring pan and tilt security camera for $50 ($30 off): This security camera joined the Ring lineup only a few months ago, and this is the best price we've seen on it. It's part of a larger Ring sale that discounts home security gear by up to 50 percent (though many of those deals hit above the $50 mark).

• Amazon Echo Show 5 (2023) for $45 ($45 off): The newest Echo Show 5 made our list of the best smart displays because it doubles as a “stellar alarm clock” with the auto-dimming screen, tap-to-snooze feature and a sunrise alarm. Plus the tiny, five-inch screen is perfect for a nightstand. Also, oddly, at Best Buy.

• Amazon Echo Spot (2024) $45 ($35 off): The mini display just shows simple data like the time, weather or song that’s playing while the other half of the circle plays music. It’s an updated version of a model Amazon discontinued a couple of years ago and now it’s back.

• Elecom Nestout power bank 15,000mAh for $48 ($12 off): For outdoor charging, this is one of the few portable batteries that can handle a dunk in water (as long as you’ve remembered to screw on the port covers). We recommend it in our guide and particularly like the handy accessories like a tripod stand and light that you can buy to go on it. Also at Nestout for $1 more.

• 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller for $48 at Amazon ($12 off, Prime only): Engadget’s Jeff Dunn raved about this wireless gamepad for Switch and PC, calling it comfortable with durable Hall effect joysticks that should avoid the “drift” sensation that plagues many modern controllers. Also at Best Buy.

• Soundcore by Anker Space A40 wireless earbuds for $45 ($35 off): Our top budget wireless earbuds are just $5 shy of their all time low. They have outstanding active noise cancellation for the price and offer a warm and pleasant default sound.

• Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom and is the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

• Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($38 off with coupon): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit (see price in cart).

• Anker PowerConf C200 2K webcam for $48 ($12 off): The budget pick in our buying guide to webcams is back down to a low it’s hit a few times before. We like the excellent video clarity and easy set up and customization. Also at Anker with a coupon code.

• Thermacell Mosquito Repeller for $43 ($8 off): The mosquitos may be gone for the winter, but we all know they'll be back next year. This is one of the few mosquito-repelling products we recommend, so grab one now for a less irritating summer next year. 

• Lego Star Wars: A New Hope Boarding The Tantive IV for $44 (20 percent off): This set recreates the scene in which Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers battled the Rebels, and it includes seven Star Wars minifigures. Also at Target. 

Expired Black Friday deals

• Ransom Notes board game for $28 ($7 off): Engadget’s Karissa Bell recommends this party board game in our gift guide thanks to its hilarity-inspiring appeal. It forces players to communicate complex concepts using a given number of word magnet tiles.

• OtterBox Performance Fast Charge Power Bank 20,000 mAh for $32 ($23 off): This is the larger-capacity model of the mid-range battery we recommend in our guide to power banks. Not only does it look cool, it’s durable and charges up a phone quickly through either the USB-C or USB-A port.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-70-best-black-friday-tech-deals-you-can-still-get-under-50-164632294.html?src=rss

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© Amazon/JBL/Anker/Engadget

We’ve probably got enough foodies on the Engadget staff to start our own restaurant. While we’re not all home chefs (some of us just microwave), we all love food. So we’ve used, tested and reviewed plenty of kitchen gadgets for the site. For Black Friday, a lot of the gear we’ve tried is on sale and continues to be even after the day has passed.

We found deals on air fryers, sous vide machines, pizza ovens and more, with some discounts hitting the lowest prices of the year. Whether you already cook up a storm on a regular basis, or you’re ready to build on your microwaving and reheating skills, the shopping holiday is a great time to finally pick up that new bit of kitchen tech you’ve been thinking about. Here are the best Black Friday kitchen deals you can still get on appliances, gadgets and the kitchen tech we recommend.

The best Black Friday kitchen deals for 2024

Whether for buying guides, reviews or our own use, we’ve tried plenty of gadgets that make home cooking simpler and more enjoyable. We also recently put together a cooking gift guide full of our favorite stuff. Our picks include low and high tech devices for kitchens both indoor and outdoor and right now, lots of those harder-to-categorize recommendations are currently on sale for Black Friday and listed here.

Photo by Billy Steele / Engadget

• Mannkitchen Pepper Cannon for $160 ($40 off with Prime): Our own Sam Rutherford admitted that $200 is a ridiculous price for a pepper mill (and this $160 Black Friday price is not much saner). But in his writeup, he details how the Pepper Cannon has become one of his favorite kitchen tools in such a way that makes me strongly consider it, ridiculous or not.

• Meater Pro for $100 ($30 off): In our official review, Engadget’s Billy Steele praises the longer battery life and extended range of this updated smart thermometer from the Trager-owned company. It also packs increased heat resistance and is more durable overall. Also direct from Meater.

• Ooni Karu 16 outdoor pizza oven for $520 ($130 off): The Karu 16 is our favorite multi-fuel outdoor pizza oven but it’s not cheap, so it’s best to get it when it’s on sale. It has a large capacity that can handle full size pizzas — and even cast iron cookware — using wood, charcoal or propane fuel. Plus the bottom-mounted digital thermometer helps you keep tabs on your cooking. 

• Thermapen One for $76 ($32 off): We recommend this blazingly fast thermometer in our grilling guide because it’ll give you a readout in one second on its auto-rotating screen.

• Stanley IceFlow tumbler with straw for $25 ($15 off): Our resident grill master, Billy Steele recommends having a reliable source of frosty beverage at the ready when you grill. This is the one he picked for our grilling gear buyer’s guide.

• Anyday Microwave Cookware Starter Set for $70 ($30 off): Our resident microwave aficionado Cherlynn Low speaks highly of these plastic-free dishes, which she’s been using for two years now. The design allows you to steam and even bake foods in the zapper box while also acting as excellent food storage containers. 

The best Black Friday deals on coffee and tea gear

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

Like most workplaces, Engadget runs on coffee — or at least the people responsible for it do. Many of us put our collective caffeinated experiences together to come up with a gift guide for coffee lovers. Of course, some of us are partial to tea, so we put a guide to tea gifts together as well. Right now for Black Friday, many of the picks from both lists are on sale.

• Fellow Tally coffee scale for $148 ($37 off): If you, or someone you’re buying presents for, are Very Serious about coffee, this scale might make sense. It combines precise weight measurements with a timer and a Brew Assist Mode to help you dial in the correct ratio for perfect pour-overs. Also at Amazon.

• Fellow Atmos Vacuum canister for $32 ($8 off): Only people who spend top dollars on the good coffee or loose leaf tea need this rather pricey canister. But it does the job of removing the air so oxidation can’t occur.

• Firebelly Tea Travel Mug for $32 ($8 off): This travel mug not only keeps your iced tea cold and your hot tea steamy, its insert also stops infusion when you press it down so you can steep on the go. 

• Cosori Electric Gooseneck Kettle for $50 ($20 off, see price in cart): This is a return to a discount we've seen multiple times this year, and it's about $14 more than the all-time low. But this kettle has earned its spot on one of our editors’ tiny countertops. It has different built-in temperature settings for different types of drinks and an elegant gooseneck pour.

• Fellow Stagg EKG electric kettle for $132 ($33 off): This exquisitely designed kettle has an LCD panel built into the base so you can choose a specific temperature down to the degree. And the hold feature keeps water hot for up to an hour. It’s great for coffee pour over but is also excellent for tea.

The best Black Friday deals on sous vide machines

Photo by Avery Ellis / Engadget

If you know someone without a sous vide machine, now might be a good time to ameliorate that situation as many of our favorite models are on sale. And if you happen to be without one, here’s your chance to get in on the low-effort, high-result water-bath cooking method. This is the best what’s on sale for Black Friday, as pulled from our picks.

• Anova Culinary Sous Vide 3.0 for $99 ($100 off): This is the best overall sous vide machine, according to testing for our buyer’s guide and this price beats the one from July. We like the easy digital controls and the high flow rate that maintains water temperature better. Also the companion app is stuffed with recipes. It's $120 at Best Buy and directly from Anova.

• Anova Culinary Sous Vide Precision Cooker Nano for $97 ($52 off): We've seen this price for much of the past month, so it's not exactly a new deal, but still a good discount on the machine that led Engadget's Avery Ellis to dub the sous vide stick the “Millennial crockpot.” She uses this one a few times a week to make unfussy meals that keep her alive. The Nano model is a slightly smaller and less expensive version of the top pick in our buyer’s guide. Also direct from Anova for $99.

The best Black Friday deals on air fryers and Instant Pots

Instant Brands

Air fryers make microwaves jealous. Food that would otherwise come out hot yet soggy comes out hot and crisp and doesn’t take that much more time. Another kitchen MVP is the ever popular Instant Pot, which can cook everything from soups to rice, beans and more. Here are the best Black Friday deals on the air fryers and Instant Pots we recommend.

• Ninja DZ401 Foodi 10-quart air fryer for $130 ($100 off): What if you want to air fry two different foods at once? Go for our recommendation for a dual-zone air fryer. It’s best for larger kitchens and big meals and takes up a commensurate amount of space. It went as low as $150 for Black Friday last year.

• Instant Vortex Plus 6QT Air Fryer for $99 ($70 off): This is the top recommendation in our guide to air fryers and happens to be the model I bought for myself after reading our guide. It preheats quickly and keeps cooking odors to a minimum with replaceable filters (it even tells you when it’s time to replace). Plus clean-up is easy and the window is handy for making sure the nachos don't burn. Also at Walmart.

• Cosori 9-in-1 air frier for $88 ($32 off): This is the newest addition in our list, earning a runner up nod for best overall. It has nine preset cooking modes and a six-quart capacity that makes it just the right size to cook a good amount of food without taking up too much space on most countertops. 

• Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro for $300 ($100 off): If you want a more traditional toaster oven design with a huge capacity, go for our premium air fryer pick. The fryer-and-oven combo can accommodate a five-quart dutch oven, so it’s almost an auxiliary oven, which could come in handy for holiday cooking. Also at Target and Best Buy.

• Breville the Smart Oven Air Fryer for $280 ($70 off): This is the non-Pro version of the Breville air fryer we recommend. It has a slightly smaller capacity (0.8 cubic feet instead of one cubic foot). But still has most of the same features including 11 of the 13 cooking functions.

• Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 pressure cooker (6QT) for $99 ($71 off): These ubiquitous and highly versatile cookers can make just about anything you can dream up — Instant Pot recipes make up a considerable portion of online recipes. This is the pro version of the model we recommend in our buyer's guide to kitchen tech and it has five favorite buttons and extra wattage for a faster preheat. Best Buy has the eight-quart model on sale for $120.

• Instant Pot Duo Plus 9-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker for $80 ($50 off): We like this Instant Pot model because it's simple to use and has several quick-cooking modes including beans, cake, sous vide and more.

• Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer for $90 ($70 / 44 percent off): This gets an honorable mention in our air fryer guide. Though the round cooking basket doesn’t feel as roomy as square ones, the taller and thinner design might make the most of limited countertop space. Plus it has a dehydrate option for making your own dried fruit.

The best Black Friday deals on blenders and mixers

KitchenAid

Black Friday is a good time to upgrade an aging hand blender or finally get that Vitamix you’ve been thinking about. Whether for yourself or as a gift for the home cook on our list, these blender and juicer deals come straight out of our kitchen tech guides and will bring plenty of extra muscle for a low price.

• Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $113 ($67 off): The powerful Juice Fountain impressed us with its extraction abilities. Plus it’s relatively easy to clean (as long as you do it right after you juice). It takes up a good amount of space, but can extract an impressive amount of juice from even the driest-seeming carrot.

• Vitamix E310 Explorian Blender for $300 ($80 off): Oh the Vitamix. I can attest from personal experience it really is as powerful as you’ve heard. It’s of course a recommendation in our guide to kitchen gadgets for its ability to make even the toughest ingredients smooth and creamy. Also at Best Buy and direct from Vitamix.

• Vitamix Immersion Blender for $145 ($25 off): For an immersion blender that matches the power of a countertop version, go for the one from Vitamix. We found the 625-watt motor impressively powerful (duh) and think it’s great for people who want to make crushed ice drinks but don’t have space for a full-sized blender. Also at Amazon and Williams Sonoma.

• Ninja SS101 Foodi Smoothie Maker for $80 ($40 off): Engadget’s Vallentina Palladino recommends this smoothie blender in our gift guide for cooks saying it doesn’t take up that much space and the swappable lids make it easy to take one’s health shakes on the go. Also at Target and directly from Ninja.

• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer for $330 ($130 off): Small wonder that the home cook’s gold standard of mixers made its way onto our kitchen tech guide. Its ton of available attachments can be used to make pasta, grind food, strain or spiralize fruits and veggies and more. This is no unitasker. Also at Target and direct from KitchenAid.

• KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Blender for $90 ($40 off): The big selling point here is the removable battery that you can use for other KitchenAid Go appliances. In our testing, it had enough power to turn a roasted butternut squash into a smooth, creamy soup.

• KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender for $45 ($15 off): If you’d rather a corded model of the KitchenAid recommendation, that’s on sale too — and is cheaper to begin with. This one comes with extra accessories to make it a true multitasker and has a powerful 180 watt motor, just like the cordless version. Also at Target.

Expired Black Friday kitchen deals

• Ninja Creami ice cream maker for $160 ($40 off): One of our favorite kitchen gadgets, this ice cream maker is super easy to use and makes an infinite amount of frozen treats; you're really only limited by your imagination. This is an Amazon exclusive model that comes with just one pint. The model with two pint jars is on sale too, but it’s $40 more, making it cheaper to buy extra containers separately. The two-pint model is also direct from Ninja.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-black-friday-kitchen-deals-will-save-you-up-to-44-percent-on-ninja-breville-kitchenaid-fellow-and-more-153533806.html?src=rss

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© Ninja/Breville/Cosori/Anova/Engadget

Smaller battery packs are great for refiling phones and tablets, but if you need to keep a laptop juiced up while you’re far from an outlet, you’ll need something larger. For this guide, we tested portable chargers with at least a 20,000mAh (74Wh) capacity, but kept the upper limit below 27,000mAh (99Wh), since that’s about the maximum size allowed by the TSA in carry-on luggage. Some laptop power banks sport extra features like wireless charging or an AC plug so you can power small devices such as a travel printer or an LED lamp. But what all of them have in common is a larger size and higher price tag than standard battery packs. So if you don’t want to play a guessing game, these are the best laptop power banks we tested.

Table of contents

• Best laptop power banks for 2024

• What to look for in a laptop power bank

• How we test portable laptop chargers

• Laptop power bank FAQs

Best laptop power banks for 2024

What to look for in a laptop power bank

Capacity

If you just need to keep a smartphone from dying before you can make it home, just about any power bank will do. But if you need to revive multiple devices or the substantial battery of a laptop, you’ll want something with a high milliamp-hour​​ (mAh) capacity. A power bank capable of delivering enough power to a laptop will have a capacity between 20,000 and 27,000 mAh.

Go higher than 27,000mAh and you won’t be able to take it on an airplane, which is why most portable chargers top out around that number. Since the voltage for most portable power banks is around 3.7 volts, a 27,000mAh battery translates to 99.9 watt hours — which is the maximum capacity the TSA will allow for carry-on luggage. (And note that these batteries can’t be checked, regardless of size).

If you want something even bigger than a laptop power bank, and don’t need to fly with it, you’ll likely want to look into portable power stations. These can be the size of a car battery or larger and can potentially fuel an entire weekend away.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the capacity listed in a power bank's specs is not what will be delivered to your devices. As I mentioned, the capacity of these banks is around 25,000mAh. Even the huge battery on a MacBook Pro has a mAh rating of around 5,000 - 6,000mAh, so you might think you’d get five full charges but in reality, you only get about a single 70-percent charge. The voltage is different (typically 3.7V for the power bank and 11.4V for a laptop) which makes the watt-hours, or the amount of energy each battery can hold, different (working out to 92Wh for the battery and 72Wh for the laptop). On top of that, in order to feed a charge from a power bank to a laptop, a voltage conversion takes place and that dissipates a decent amount of energy.

Without turning this into a physics lesson, this all means that a power bank with a 25,000mAh (or 92Wh) capacity will typically fill a 5,000mAh (or 72Wh) laptop battery to about 75 percent. In my tests, I averaged about a 60-percent efficiency rate between a power bank’s listed capacity and the actual charge delivered.

Ports

Every large power bank I’ve tested has at least three USB ports, with a mix of USB-C and USB-A, which should cover nearly any portable device you need to recharge — earbuds, phones, tablets, laptops, you name it. In addition to the different plug formats, some ports supply power at different wattages. For example, one USB-C port might be rated for 60 watts, while the one next to it is rated for 100 watts. So if you’ve got a device that’s capable of 70W fast charging, such as the new MacBook Air, you’d want to opt for the 100W port to get the best charging speeds possible. Note that devices with a smaller wattage draw won’t be negatively affected by connecting to ports with high ratings. For example, a Galaxy S24 Ultra, capable of 45W super fast charging, can happily plug into the 100W port. A device will only draw what it can take, regardless of what a port can supply. Just remember that the port, device and cable need to be at or above the desired wattage rating to achieve maximum charging rates.

Some of these larger batteries also have AC ports. It might seem like a natural fit to plug in your laptop’s power adapter for a recharge. But really, the AC port should only be for devices that can’t use USB — such as a lamp or a printer. Plugging a power adapter into the AC port only wastes energy through conversion. First, the battery converts its DC power to supply the port with AC power, then the power adapter converts that AC power back to DC so your laptop can take it in. And as you’ll remember from physics class, each time energy is converted, some is lost to heat and other dissipations. Better to cut out the middleman and just send that DC power straight from the battery to the device.

Also, you can use more than one port at a time with these devices; just remember that the speed of whatever you’re charging will likely go down, and of course, the battery is going to drain proportionally to what you’re refilling.

Wireless charging

Just in the last year and a half that I’ve been testing portable power banks, wireless charging capabilities have noticeably improved. The first few I tried were painfully slow and not worth recommending. Now the wireless pads built into power banks are impressively fast — particularly, in my experience, when charging Samsung Galaxy phones (though the lack of a stabilizing magnetic connection like Apple’s MagSafe means they only work when rested flat on a pad). Most wireless charging connections can be used while other ports are also being employed, making them convenient for some mobile battlestation setups.

Of course, wireless charging is always less efficient than wired, and recharging from an external battery is less efficient in general. If you want to waste as little energy as possible, you’re better off sticking to wired connections.

Design

All power banks are designed to be portable, but there’s a big difference between a pocket-friendly 5,000mAh battery and one of these laptop-compatible bruisers. Most of the latter weigh between a pound and a half to two pounds, which is a considerable addition to a backpack. Many of the options listed here have a display to tell you how much charge remains in the battery, which is helpful when you’re trying to judiciously meet out charges to your devices. If a bank has a wireless connection, the pad is usually on the flat top and any available AC connection is usually at one end. Both may require you to engage those charging methods. Don’t be like me and grumble loudly that you got a bum unit without pressing (and sometimes double pressing) all the buttons first.

How we test portable laptop chargers

For the past year and a half, I’ve been testing and using dozens of portable batteries for our other battery guide. Some of those batteries include the higher-capacity power banks you see here. I also got a hold of a few extra banks just for this guide to make sure we covered what’s available. I went for brands I’m already familiar with, as well as battery packs from well-received manufacturers I hadn’t tried before (like UGREEN and Lion Energy). I only considered banks with at least a 20,000mAh capacity and mostly stuck with those that rated 25,000mAh and higher.

Here’s everything we tested:

• Zendure Supertank Pro

• Mophie Powerstation Pro XL

• Mophie Powerstation Pro AC

• Lion Energy Eclipse Mag

• Lion Energy Trek

• Baseus Blade Laptop

• Anker Prime 27,650mAh

• Goal Zero Sherpa 100 AC

Due to shipping and travel issues, I wasn’t able to test two of the batteries I had slated: the HyperJuice 245W and the UGREEN Power Bank 25,000mAh. Once I’ve had a chance to see how these two perform — as well as any new worthy contenders that hit the market — I’ll update this guide accordingly.

I tested each power bank with an iPhone 15, a Galaxy S23 Ultra, an iPad Air (M1) and a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip. Even though these banks can charge multiple devices at once, I refilled one at a time, to make side-by-side comparisons more straightforward. I drained the batteries of the phones and tablets to between zero and five percent and then didn’t use any device as it refilled.

For the MacBook, I let it run down to 10 percent before plugging in the power bank. That's when most laptops give display a “connect to power” warning, as draining any battery to empty will compromise the battery life. I then used it as one might in a mobile office, with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, while connected to Wi-Fi and a VPN.

For each test, I noted how long a completely charged battery took to get a device back to full and how much of the battery’s capacity was used up in one charge. I also noted things like portability, apparent durability, helpful features and overall design.

For reference, here are the battery capacities of the devices I used:

• iPhone 15: 3,349mAh

• Galaxy S23 Ultra: 4,855mAh

• iPad Air (5th gen): 7,729mAh

• 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro: 27,027mAh

Laptop power bank FAQs

How do laptop power banks differ from phone power banks?

The main difference is size. Phone power banks tend to have a capacity ranging from 5,000mAh to 20,000mAh and laptop powerbanks are typically rated between 20,000mAh and 27,000mAh. There’s no official definition, however. Laptop batteries are simply larger and need a bigger supply of power to give them a meaningful charge.

How do you fast charge a power bank?

You can charge a power bank exactly as fast as the power bank’s internal mechanisms will allow. Most batteries are limited in how quickly they can accept and deliver a charge to avoid dangerously overheating. But to make sure you’re charging a bank as quickly as possible, make sure the wall adapter and the USB-C cable you are using have a high wattage rating — using a 5W power brick and a 10W cable will take a lot longer to refill your bank than a 65W wall charger and a 100W cord.

What size power bank do I need for a laptop?

Look for a power bank with a rating of at least 20,000mAh. Slightly smaller batteries may work, but they won’t deliver a significant charge to your laptop.

How many mAh to charge a laptop?

A milliamp hour (mAh) is how much a battery can hold, and most portable batteries list their capacity using mAh. If you get a battery rated at 20,000mAh or above, it should be able to charge your laptop.

Using mAh to discuss laptop batteries can be confusing. Due to differing voltages, you can’t directly compare the mAh ratings of a power bank battery to a laptop battery. Using watt-hours is a better gauge, as that calculation takes voltage into account.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-laptop-power-bank-120040388.html?src=rss

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© Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

We’ve tested and reviewed countless speakers over the years — the best ones have made their way into three of our buying guides: soundbars, portable speakers and smart speakers. Right now Black Friday sales are bringing notable discounts to many of those top picks, like the JBL Flip 6 portable speaker for $50 off, the Sonos Era 100 smart speaker for the same discount, or Sennheiser's Ambeo Mini soundbar for a healthy $300 off.  

If you need a soundbar to make the dialogue on your TV clearer or want to take your music out on the porch once the weather warms back up, this is a good time to grab something from this list. Here are the best Black Friday deals on speakers we could find.

The best Bluetooth speaker Black Friday deals

JBL

Portable Bluetooth speakers make it easy for you to bring the music where plugs don’t reach — a picnic, the front stoop, an aimless wander along the North Country Trail. And right now for Black Friday, we’re seeing plenty of Bluetooth speaker black Friday deals. Below is the best of what’s on sale, all pulled from our Bluetooth speaker guide as well as our reviews and news coverage.

The best JBL speaker Black Friday deals

JBL Clip 5 for $50 ($30 off): It’s tiny, portable and brings its own clip along with it. You’ll get 12 hours of listening from its waterproof body and the whole thing weighs just over half a pound.

JBL Flip 6 for $80 ($50 off): This is the one I bought after reading our guide and I love it. The crowler-sized speaker has great sound quality, is durable as heck and can either sit on its end or on its side. Plus it’s waterproof, dustproof and packs 12 hours of playtime. Also at Amazon and Walmart.

JBL Xtreme 3 for $250 ($80 off): We compare the size of the Xtreme 3 to a football, but since it weighs over four pounds JBL includes a strap for easier carrying. Like most portable speakers it’s waterproof and dust-proof. The lively highs and hefty lows sound great outside, but really the speaker really shines when it can resonate indoors. Also at JBL.

JBL Xtreme 4 for $300 ($80 off): The latest generation of our recommended JBL Xtreme adds around nine hours of battery life and a replaceable battery. It’s also made from more recycled content and throws in some AI-powered tuning. Also at Target. The previous generation model is $250. 

JBL Go 4 for $40 ($10 off): JBL’s smallest portable speaker has up to seven hours of battery life on a charge, has an IP67 waterproof rating and has a tiny built-in carry strap so you can bring it wherever you go. Also at JBL and Best Buy. The previous generation, the JBL Go 3 is down to $30. 

The best Marshall Black Friday deals

Marshall Emberton II for $100 ($70 off): This is the smallest Marshall speaker in our guide. Its dual 10-watt drivers and passive radiators create an impressive, 360-degree sound. While it’s not super loud, we think the output is nicely balanced. You’ll get up to 30 hours of play on a charge. Also at Best Buy and directly from Marshall.

Marshall Middleton for $200 ($100 off): The aptly named Middleton is the mid-range Marshall speaker in our guide. The four-pound box puts out excellent sound from the dual woofers and tweeters located at the front and back, and passive radiators along each side. And the classic Marshall look is pretty stylish. Also at Best Buy and directly from Marshall.

Marshall Willen for $60 ($60 / 50 percent off): This is close to an all-time low price on a tiny music box that we named one of our favorite gadgets from last year. Engadget’s Sarah Fielding thinks it’s perfect, saying, “The sound quality is great and it stays connected to my phone regardless of where I go in my little house (the range is 30 feet). Plus, the battery is great, with a playtime of over 15 hours.”

Marshall Acton III for $200 ($80 off): This is the speaker on Sarah's holiday wishlist. The six-pound speaker needs to be plugged in and isn't waterproof, so it's intended to play indoors. But this is a good one to get if you want a retro-looking box for your living room that can emit Marshall's signature warm and balanced sound. Also at Amazon. 

The best Bose Black Friday deals

Bose SoundLink Home for $199 ($20 off): It’s a smaller speaker at just two pounds but Bose promises premium sound from the SoundLink Home. We haven't had the chance to test it ourselves just yet, but if the sleek good looks are calling to you, this discount might be a good time to invest. Just note that it’s not waterproof as the “Home” moniker suggests.

Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd gen) for $119 ($30 off): When Bose announced the release of the SoundLink Home, the company also introduced this revamped Flex. The first generation is one of the picks from our Bluetooth speaker guide. This newer generation works with the Bose app and has a new programmable button. Also at Bose and Best Buy. The first generation model is on sale for the same price.

Bose SoundLink Max for $299 ($100 off): The largest portable speaker Bose makes is part of the new SoundLink lineup which Bose announced in May. Also at Amazon and Target.

Bose Smart Soundbar for $399 ($100 off): The latest Bose soundbar came out just a couple months ago and is already on sale. It’s a smaller model that supports Dolby Atmos and has an AI Dialogue Mode as well as a Personal Surround feature if you happen to own a pair of the Ultra Open Earbuds. Bose says the AI smarts make voices easier to hear while retaining the audio’s immersive qualities. Also at Amazon.

The best Ultimate Ears speaker Black Friday deals

Ultimate Ears Everboom for $200 ($50 off): The Everboom is a new speaker in the lineup, which UE announced back in June. We reviewed it shortly after and deemed it worthy of inclusion in our guide. Not only does it float, it puts out loud, 360 degree audio and packs 20 hours of listening in a unit that’s just over two pounds. Also at Best Buy. 

Ultimate Ears Mini Roll for $50 ($30 off): This less-than-a-pound sound maker came out at the same time as the Everboom. It supplanted the Wonderboom as the smallest speaker in UE’s lineup and even sports a built-in, flexible strap to attach to just about anything. It’s IP67 rated to be dust- and waterproof and can crank out 85 decibels of volume — impressive for something so small. Also at Amazon and B&H Photo.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 for $79 ($21 off): We put the Wonderboom 3 on our guide to the best speakers and this next-gen model includes a new podcast mode EQ for crisp vocals and is made from more recycled plastics. Like its predecessor, it’ll go for 14 hours on a charge and packs a waterproof build into its mini barrel-like shape. Also at Ultimate Ears for $1 more.

Other Black Friday Bluetooth speaker deals

Billy Steele for Engadget

Soundboks Go for $524 ($174 off): The 20-pound party speaker is fairly easy to lug around and puts out big sound rated up to 121dB. You get clear mids and highs and a low end with significant presence. The wireless connectivity is pretty fuss-free and lets you connect up to five Sounboks speakers. It even has a swappable battery. This is the one to get for a larger crowd.

Beats Pill for $100 ($50 off): Beats came back to the Bluetooth speaker market with the completely redesigned Pill — and we think it was worth the wait. The durable unit earned a spot on our Bluetooth speaker guide and an 83 in our review. It offers much improved sound quality with impressive bass and full mids. You also get a long, 24-hour battery life and lossless audio over USB-C. Also at Walmart.

Sony ULT Field 1 for $98 ($32 off): Earlier this year, Sony waved goodbye to the Extra Bass and XE-Series products, folding them into the new ULT Power Series branding. This 1.4-pound unit has a 12-hour battery life and IP67 rating. This matches the all-time low. It's two dollars more at Best Buy and direct from Sony.

Anker Soundcore Motion 300 for $56 ($24 off): Weighing in at less than two pounds, Anker’s speaker has a bright, punchy output with a crisp high end and thumpy bass. Plus it’s waterproof and goes for 13 hours on a charge. No wonder it made our list of the best speakers. Also direct from Soundcore.

Anker Soundcore Motion+ for $69 ($30 off): A few Anker Soundcore speakers made our best list and this one weighs just over two pounds. It delivers a bright and bassy output, can play for around 12 hours on a charge and the build is solid with an attractive metal grille.

Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $28 ($12 off): Anker’s Soundcore brand proves the accessory brand can make some excellent electronics, too. This is one of the smaller and more affordable models and it’s currently back to one of its lowest prices yet.

Tribit StormBox Micro 2 for $45 ($35 off): This is the smallest speaker in our guide and it can go with you anywhere with the built-in strap. It pumps out impressive volume for its size and can go for 12 hours on a charge. The audio isn’t the highest fidelity, but this is more about bringing the vibes than emitting flawless musical clarity. Also directly from Tribit with an auto-coupon.

The best Black Friday smart speaker deals

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The first thing to decide before you buy a smart speaker is who you prefer to do your smart home-related bidding: Do you want Alexa’s wry yet efficient manner, Google’s info-packed know-how, or Siri’s dreamy presence? Then check out these Black Friday deals so you can get that smart home help at a discount.

The Best Sonos smart speaker Black Friday deals

Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off): The Sonos Era 100 is our pick for the best midrange smart speaker. We like the excellent sound quality plus it pairs well with other Sonos devices. It has Alexa built-in, so it can handle regular smart home duties, but it’ll also make your music sound far better than any spherical Echo can.

Sonos Era 300 for $359 ($90 off): This is a return to a low we've tracked before on one of Sonos's larger speakers. It went all-in on spatial audio, but as we found in our review, those results are hit or miss. However, the speaker itself delivers excellent sound quality, is easy to set up and has a line-in option as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Also at Adorama. 

Sonos Roam 2 for $139 ($40 off): Sonos also makes the best portable smart speaker, according to our guide. We like the good sound quality and strong bass, as well as the fact that it connects via both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Also at Sonos.

Sonos Move 2 for $359 ($90 off): The Move is an upgrade on the Roam in every way (including the price). It earned an 80 in our review. We like that it’s a nice upgrade over the previous Move, with two tweeters for more detailed sound. The battery lasts a full 24 hours on a charge and the touch controls up top are very nice. It also has a line-in jack via USB-C, so you can hook up a turntable. Also at Sonos.

The best Amazon Echo smart speaker Black Friday deals

Amazon Echo Dot (5th gen) for $23 ($27 off): The Dot is Amazon’s most popular Echo speaker, delivering Alexa’s helpful assistance in a softball-sized package that puts out surprisingly decent music for its size. It gets our vote for the best smart speaker under $50. It also has an internal sensor that can tell you the temp in the room as well as trigger connected smart thermostat functions.

Amazon Echo Dot Kids for $28 ($32 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a cute dragon or own skin and includes a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+.

Amazon Echo (4th Gen) for $50 ($50 off): If you plan to listen to a lot of music through your Echo, you may want to go with the larger model. The Echo has an upward-firing woofer and dual tweeters for sound that we said delivers “impressive bass thump and powerful mid-range frequencies.” It can add stuff to your shopping list and set a timer but is also capable of producing room-filling sound.

Amazon Echo Pop for $18 ($22 / 55 percent off): The smallest Echo speaker is the Pop, a half sphere that’s probably best suited to small rooms where it’ll primarily be used as a smart assistant, as opposed to a dedicated music maker. The money you save here could be used for the compatible wall mount if you want to save some counter space.

Amazon Echo Pop Kids for $23 ($27 off): The kids version is basically the same smart speaker but comes in a Disney princess or Marvel hero skin and includes a six-month subscription to Amazon Kids+.

Amazon Echo Spot for $45 ($35 off): The Spot is technically still a speaker, though half of it is a display. Amazon discontinued this model for a few years, but brought it back in July. The half-moon screen can display the time, weather and the song that’s playing.

Other Black Friday smart speaker deals

Samsung Music Frame for $248 ($150 off): Samsung first announced its Music Frame back in January at CES 2024. It takes its cue from the Frame TV that disguises itself as art. This wireless speaker has room for your own (physical) photo within its frame, along with two woofers, two tweeters and two mid-range drivers to spit out sound from your favorite streaming services. Also at Best Buy and directly from Samsung for $2 more.

Google Pixel Tablet with speaker dock for $459 ($140 off): The speaker dock is what qualifies what's really a tablet for this list. The charging dock sort of turns the tablet into a smart display, like an Echo Show. You can also use it as a standalone slab, but as we found in our review, it's far more exciting as a home hub than a tablet. 

Google Nest Audio for $50 ($50 off): It’s more than four years old at this point, but the Nest Audio offers a decent ratio of sound quality to price, according to our review, and it’ll put the best of the Google Assistant’s assistance at your service. Also at Google.

Black Friday soundbar deals

Devindra Hardawar for Engadget

For our guide to the best soundbars, our audio expert Billy Steele picked six winners out of the dozens of home theater speakers he and other Engadget staffers have tested over the years — and one of them is on sale for Black Friday (we expect more sales to pop up closer to Black Friday so check this post again). This is a great chance to improve greatly upon the audio from your (probably thin) TV.

Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Mini for $500 ($300 off): We billed the Ambeo Mini as another premium option if the Samsung option doesn’t work for you. It requires a subwoofer to maximize the speaker’s potential, but once you do the immersive sound is truly impressive — especially for the size.

Sonos Ray for $169 ($110 off): A soundbar doesn’t have to be huge to make a big difference in the sound quality coming from the direction of your TV. Billy recommends this one for smaller rooms and for people who want an easy setup. I personally got one of these last year and immediately noticed a difference in dialogue clarity. Also at Amazon.

Sonos Beam for $369 ($130 off): It only has one HDMI port and no upward-firing drivers, but the Beam delivers solid sound quality with support for Dolby Atmos, and of course, it pairs nicely with other Sonos speakers. Plus it’s relatively compact. Also at Amazon and Adorama.

Sonos Sub Mini for $343 ($86 off): We found this smaller subwoofer to be the perfect complement to the Sonos Ray or Beam soundbars in our review. It's a more affordable model that's more practical for smaller spaces than the Sonos Sub (which isn't on sale).

Samsung HW-Q990C for $1,049 ($949 off): The top spot in our soundbar guide isn’t cheap, but this Black Friday deal helps. And, for the price, you get a complete home theater audio setup complete with soundbar, subwoofer and two rear surround speakers. Samsung’s HW-Q990C may not have the prettiest name, but the sound quality is a thing of beauty, earning it an 89 in our review. 

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-black-friday-speaker-deals-for-2024-big-savings-on-jbl-sonos-echo-marshall-and-more-172645275.html?src=rss

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© Sonos/JBL/Amazon/Beats/Engadget

Apple’s website hardly ever hosts sales of its own. So we have to rely on other retailers, like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and Target to discount Apple devices for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, the deals have been pretty great — if you’ve been waiting for a better price before grabbing that iPad or pair of AirPods, congratulate yourself now, the wait was likely worth it.

We found discounts on current-model gear, as well as previous generation devices that’ll still serve you well. And if you’d like a little more info before plunking down your money, you can check out our reviews and buying advice beforehand — all of which are linked below. Here are the best Apple deals for Black Friday that you can still get today.

The best Black Friday Apple AirPods deals

Apple has four models of AirPods right now: The AirPods Pro 2, the over-ear AirPods Max and two AirPods 4, one with active noise cancellation and one without. Apple has been doing a lot of interesting things with their headphones lately, making this a good time to dive in. Though the discounts for Black Friday look to be minor, it's better than paying full price.

• Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) for $154 ($95 off): This is a new low price for what we call the best earbuds iPhone users can get. Recently, Apple’s tiny white gizmos got even better with the addition of hearing aid features. They have a remarkably natural-sounding transparency mode, solid active noise cancellation and make a great go-between for Siri’s assistance. Also at Walmart.

• Apple AirPods Max (USB-C) for $499 ($50 off): Apple’s only over-ear headphones haven’t had a full revamp in a few years. When the iPhone 16 came out, Apple swapped out the lightning port for a USB-C connector and introduced new colors. While the overall design and build is a bit old at this point, they still deliver balanced sound in a premium package.

• Apple AirPods 4 (standard) for $119 ($10 off): Here's a minor discount on Apple’s newest personal audio device. They were announced alongside the iPhone 16 back in September. There are two versions of the AirPods 4, this is the standard version without active noise cancellation. Both have a redesigned shape for a better fit and offer an open ear design (as opposed to the closed-ear shape of the Pro model). We gave them an 88 in our review. Also at Target. 

• Apple AirPods 4 (ANC) for $165 ($14 off): The new buds with ANC got a respectable 86 in that same review. We noted they had pro-level features like letting you nod or shake your head to respond to Siri’s questions and Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking. Also at Target. 

The best Black Friday Apple Watch deals

If you take steps or do a workout and you’re not wearing a smartwatch, does it really count? Of course, the Apple Watch is more than a fitness tracker, it’s also a shortcut to your iPhone notifications, a handy Siri portal and an always-on weather forecast. Plus it tells time. While they’re not cheap, these Black Friday Apple Watch discounts should help.

• Apple Watch Series 10 for $329 ($70 off): This is the lowest price we've seen yet on an Apple Watch Series 10. It is our top pick for the best smartwatch you can buy and has a slightly thinner and lighter design, a wide-angle OLED panel for better viewing angles, plus all of the watchOS 11 features that Apple recently released. Also at Walmart.

• Apple Watch SE for $149 ($100 off): Apple’s budget smartwatch hasn’t had an update since 2022. There were rumblings that we’d see an update with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10 but that didn’t happen. But if you just need a reliable wrist companion for your iPhone and an accurate fitness and workout tracker, this will serve. This is a brand new all-time low. Also available at Amazon.

• Apple Watch Ultra 2 for $719 ($80 off): The Ultra model is big and has a big price tag to match, so this discount might help. It’s our Apple Watch recommendation for adventurers and athletes thanks to its specialized features like a depth meter, SOS siren, and dual frequency GPS for more accurate route tracking.

The best Black Friday Apple iPad deals

Photo by Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

The line between Apple’s tablets and laptops is a little blurry at this point, especially with the release of the iPad Pro this year, which (at the time) housed the company’s most powerful chip. The iPad Air is our current pick for the best iPad you can buy and we were delighted by the iPad mini that came out just last month. The only problem is iPads are among the more expensive tablets you can buy. Hopefully these Black Friday iPad deals help out.

• Apple iPad (2022, 10th gen) for $259 ($90 off): We saw this go as low as $250, which was a new all-time low price on the base model iPad. But the tablet seems to be going out of stock while the price fluctuates between $250 and $279. Some colors have additional coupons too. The standard iPad didn’t get an upgrade during Apple’s Let Loose event back in May, though it did get a quiet price reduction by $100 to $349, so this is between $75 and $100 off the list price. This is our current favorite budget iPad because it’s a capable tablet that’s great for casual browsing, streaming and gaming. It can even handle everyday productivity tasks well.  

• Apple iPad (2021, 9th gen) for $200 ($129 off): Apple discontinued this model with the release of the new iPad Pro and Air models earlier this year. In what's likely an effort to get rid of current stock, the price is down to a new record low. The 9th generation iPad is the former budget pick in our guide to the best Apple tablets and will serve well as a casual browsing, streaming and game playing machine. 

• Apple iPad Pro (2024, 7th gen, 11-inch) for $899 ($100 off): The latest iPad Pro came out back in May and, notably, was the first Apple device to sport the M4 system-on-a-chip. We gave it an 84 in our review calling it an engineering marvel and the best screen our reviewer had ever seen. It’s also our pick for the best iPad for power users. The only problem is it’s very expensive, but this sale helps a little. Also at Amazon.

• Apple iPad Air (2024, 6th gen, 11-inch) for $499 ($100 off): The iPad Air is the Apple tablet we recommend for most people in our buying guide and it earned a high score of 91 in our review. It strikes the best balance between performance, price and features of all slabs in the lineup. It has an M2 chip which is really overkill for casual browsing and gaming, but will ensure that your tablet is compatible with the latest Apple Intelligence tricks and demanding games. Also at Amazon.   

The best Black Friday Mac and MacBook deals

Photo by Devindra Hardawar / Engadget

Apple held a quiet Mac Week at the tail end of October in which it announced the new desktop M4 Mac mini, the all-in-one M4 iMac and the M4 MacBook Pro laptop. The MacBook Air from back in March is still the model we recommend for most people

• Apple MacBook Air (2024, M3, 13-inch) for $844 ($256 off): Here's a new all-time low on the latest MacBook Air. It's our top pick for the best laptop for most people, and this model has 16GB of RAM built in — double the previous base amount so it can tackle the demands of the burgeoning Apple Intelligence. Also at B&H Photo for $200 off. 

• Apple MacBook Air (2022, M2, 13-inch) for $749 ($250 off): The previous MacBook Air has a (still very fast) M2 processor and it’s our previous pick for the best overall laptop for most people. This is the 13-inch model with 16GB of RAM. This is a return to an all-time low. 

• Apple iMac (2024, M4, 24-inch) for $1,149 ($150 off with coupon): Apple just released the refreshed iMac last month, but now the silver model is already on sale. It has the latest Apple silicon, the M4 system on a chip that gives it a speed boost and enables the new Apple Intelligence features in macOS Sequoia. Also at B&H Photo for $100 off. 

• Apple MacBook Pro (2024, M4 Pro, 14-inch) for $1,400 ($199 off): The main update Apple gave to its most powerful laptops is the faster than ever M4 chip. Not much else changed, but that’s not a bad thing as the Pros are excellent machines that we recommend to pro users. They have enough power to handle even the most demanding video, audio and any other productivity tasks you can throw at it.

The best Black Friday deals on Apple gear

Apple

• Apple AirTags (four-pack) for $73 ($27 off): These are the Bluetooth trackers we recommend if you have an iPhone. They allow you to keep track of your keys, wallet and other belongings using the Find My app and nearly every other nearby iPhone. Note that you’ll need an AirTag holder or case to use them with your keys and a new generation is rumored for next year. The record low for the four pack was $70 which we saw earlier this month, this deal is a few dollars more. Also at Walmart and Target.

• Apple Pencil Pro for $99 ($30 off): It’s true that you may need a roadmap to help you figure out which stylus is compatible with which iPad. The Pro is the newest Apple Pencil and it’ll work with the newest iPad Air and Pro models and adds haptic feedback, squeeze and barrel roll movements to the mix of features. The all-time low was $90, but this is still a decent deal. Also at Amazon.  

• Apple Pencil (2nd gen, USB-C) for $69 ($10 off): The USB-C Apple Pencil was released late last year and effectively serves as Apple's "budget" stylus. It works with the widest range of Apple tablets, though not all of them so check before you buy. This is about $4 more than the all-time low. Also at Amazon. 

• Apple Pencil tips (4-pack) for $12 ($7 off): Search for Apple Pencil replacement tips and you'll find plenty of third party manufacturers with options available. But this is one of the areas where I think it's best to go with the original manufacturer. I bought these tips and they've served well — I just wish I'd paid $12 instead of $19.  

• Apple Magic Mouse (Black) for $80 ($19 off): The black model of Apple's popular mouse has an updated USB-C charging port but, confoundingly, it's still on the bottom where you can't use it while recharging. Still a charge will last for about month and it should reliably connect to any iPad or Mac you own.  

• Apple Watch fast charger for $24 ($4 off): If you need to replace an aging Apple Watch charger, this might be the best time to buy. It's a mild discount, but the lowest the official, Apple-made accessory has gone all year. 

• Beats Studio Pro for $160 ($189 off): Apple famously paid a healthy sum to acquire Beats around a decade ago, so there may not be a bitten apple on the side, but these are nonetheless Apple products. We gave the Studio Pro headphones a review score of 81 when they came out last year, thanks to improved sound quality. They offer "near-zero" distortion, even at the highest volumes and go for 40 hours on a charge. 

Expired Apple Black Friday deals

• Apple Mac mini (2024, M4) for $529 ($70 off): This is Apple’s $599 example of good things, small packages. It's down to $529, which is about $30 more than it went for last week with a coupon, but if that deal doesn't come back, this is still a decent discount on a brand new Mac. The five-inch by five-inch box can tackle some serious workloads and remains the most affordable entry point to accessing Apple’s latest silicon. We gave it a solid score of 90 in our review, praising the incredibly fast M4 chip and useful ports. Also at B&H Photo.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/these-are-the-best-black-friday-apple-deals-on-airpods-ipads-macbooks-and-airtags-we-could-find-165143209.html?src=rss

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