The original StanByMe portable TV and the Inspector Gadget-like briefcase follow-up were surprisingly popular, so of course, we’re getting a new one to kick off 2025. I like to imagine LG literally toting the StanbyME 2 to CES by the carrying straps you can affix to it, as the rep did in this video below.

The 27-inch 1440p touchscreen on the StanbyME 2 should offer a sharper picture than the original’s 1080p. It also lasts longer with a four-hour battery life, up from three and a half, but LG has not revealed pricing or availability details.

You can still mount the TV to a floor stand that holds and charges it, but LG is unashamedly emphasizing its portability with the carrying strap, which you can also use to hang from a wall like a picture frame on a sturdy enough hook. It’s also compatible with a folio cover that protects the display during transport and doubles as a tabletop stand, and you can magnetically attach the remote to the top of the TV. It has two USB-C ports that you can use for charging and peripherals like webcams, plus a traditional HDMI input.

These upgrades feel relatively minor, but if you aspire to be a modern-day Radio Raheem with a TV on your shoulder — and, presumably, the matching pill-shaped StanbyME XT7 Bluetooth speaker under your arm — the StanbyME 2 might be the television for you.

A lander hasn’t successfully reached the surface of the Moon’s cratered Mare Crisium region since the Soviet Luna 24 probe landed there to collect samples in August 1976. But SpaceX is prepping a launch that’ll send not one, but two landers there on Wednesday January 15th, Firefly Aerospace has announced.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch at approximately 1:11 AM EST, and will not only have Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 lander on board, but also the Resilience lander from the Japanese robotic spacecraft firm iSpace. It will take 45 days for the craft to journey to the Moon before it spends another 14 days carrying out surface operations. There’s no word on whether we’ll be able to watch it take off.

The Firefly lander will carry 10 NASA payloads to the surface. They’re designed to measure various particulate compositions, thermal properties, and electromagnetic activity of both the Moon and the Earth. It’ll collect data for various applications, from improving landing and takeoff procedures to learning about the Moon’s resources and its history.

The so-called LEXI payload is particularly interesting — it’s an x-ray machine that can read the Earth’s magnetic field. NASA will use the data to see how our magnetosphere interacts with solar winds, which could ultimately help accurately detect and track solar weather patterns that cause power outages on Earth and interfere with satellite and GPS systems.

This would be NASA’s second attempt to deploy such technology. It first launched the device, then known as STORM, into space in 2012. That one didn’t land on the moon, however, and wasn’t able to get the full picture that LEXI’s wide-angle sensors will be able to capture.

The Panasonic-owned audio brand Technics makes some of the best wireless earbuds that most people have probably never heard of. For example, we found that the sound quality and active noise cancellation of the company’s stylish EAH-AZ80 earbuds equal that of the high-end options from bigger brands like Sony, Bose, and Sennheiser — if not better in some respects.

Now, Technics has launched a new pair of earbuds at CES 2025 in a bid to further that reputation. The Technics EAH-AZ100, which we should start seeing available for purchase today for $299.99, are the first wireless earbuds with the company’s proprietary fluid magnetic drivers. That’s not just a buzzword: according to Technics, there’s actual oil-like fluid with magnetic particles sitting between the 10mm driver and voice coil to keep distortion at bay.

Image: Panasonic

We’ll have to take its word on that until we try them out for ourselves, but the brand says it tested the result with sound engineers, presumably with no complaints. Technics says they have a frequency response floor of 3Hz, which is a calming ultra-low binaural frequency that produces a bass result most people would have trouble hearing, but you may feel the low-rumbling vibration affect your body as you’re listening. For comparison’s sake, most headphones and earbuds (including the Sony WF-1000XM5 and other flagships) target the typical human frequency range of between 20Hz and 20,000Hz. In short, it sounds like we’re in for a wide but well-balanced sound with warm bass. The earbuds also support Dolby Atmos spatial audio head tracking tech.

The Technics EAH-AZ100 have three microphones in each bud to enable features like Voice Focus AI, which detects and amplifies your voice on calls while filtering out traffic noise, wind, and other external sounds. It uses similar tricks for active noise cancellation but goes a step further by detecting your ear shape for personalized tweaks. The result should be impressive if it’s anything like the AZ80’s top-notch noise cancellation. Whether the new transparency mode sounds any better than the older pair’s unnatural reproduction is still a question mark, though.

You’ll get lots of modern connectivity conveniences in the AZ100, too, such as three-device Bluetooth multipoint that trounces the two-device limit of most competitors. The device also supports Google Fast Pair for seamless switching between supported Android devices, Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast for easy multidevice audio pairing and sharing, and the low-latency LC3 audio codec.

Photo: Panasonic

The earbuds come in a wireless charging case that adds 28 hours of battery to the advertised 10-hour runtime during AAC playback or up to seven hours with LDAC, which Technics says you can achieve while noise cancellation is on. They also have the same IPX4 water resistance as the AZ80 (although, like the older pair, the case still has no such rating).

All of these qualities sound about right for a $300 pair of flagship earbuds in 2025, and in some cases, the AZ100 seem to be pushing the bar a bit. They certainly have the on-paper credentials, and we already thought the AZ80 were justifiable at that price. (They now start at $199.99.) If the AZ100 are building on that foundation with a meaningfully transformed soundstage, then the incumbent rivals occupying this tier of wireless earbuds should be listening.

HP is jumping into the smart monitor space with the Omen 32x, a gaming monitor that doubles as a streaming device running Google TV. It’ll ship this April for $749.99, the company announced at CES 2025.

The HP Omen 32x Smart Gaming Monitor has a 31.5-inch 4K IPS display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, 400 nit peak brightness, and DisplayHDR 400 with Dolby Vision. The panel covers 95 percent of the Display P3 and 99 percent of the sRGB color gamuts, and it has support for G-Sync and FreeSync Premium. For video inputs, it has one DisplayPort 1.4 port and two HDMI 2.1 ports, plus a 65W USB-C Power Delivery port with alt mode support for DisplayPort. It also has two USB-A 2.0 ports for peripherals, 3.5mm for audio (plus four built-in 3W speakers), and even an ethernet jack.

The hardware specs don’t jump off the page compared to other gaming monitors in its class, but the Google TV integration sets it apart. You’ll find it familiar if you’ve used a Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, or select TVs from Sony, Hisense, and the like. It delivers recommendations based on your watch history, and you can use Google Assistant voice commands to search for specific content within its deep library of apps as it pulls options from all available sources. You can also cast content from supported mobile apps. Most other smart monitors, like LG’s MyView line and the Samsung M series, use their own custom operating systems, and most of them are more focused on productivity than gaming.

The Omen 32x also has some unique tricks we haven’t seen before, such as native support for streaming your screen to four platforms — including Twitch, YouTube, and Instagram — simultaneously with no additional hardware. It can stream up to two webcam sources in addition to what’s on your screen. You can also mirror your Android-based smartphone to the display and use it in desktop mode within a multiview window while you’re gaming. HP even built in wireless KVM functionality, allowing you to operate everything using the same keyboard and mouse.

Image: HP

HP is also updating its mainstream G2 line of monitors for 2025, including the $479.99 Omen 34c G2, a 34-inch WQHD curved ultrawide (21:9) display with FreeSync Premium, DisplayHDR 400, and a 4,000:1 contrast ratio. We’re also getting new 27-inch 16:9 options in the 1080p Omen 27 G2 for $249.99 in May, the QHD Omen 27q G2 for $299.99 in April, and the QHD 27qs G2 for $449.99 in June.

All will benefit from factory color calibration for the first time, and the former three will support boosted refresh rates up to 180Hz. The 27qs G2, however, is distinguished as the only monitor in the G2 lineup with an IPS Black display and the first ever with a 280Hz refresh rate. IPS Black displays are said to offer higher contrast ratios (2,000:1 on the 27qs G2) and better color accuracy than ordinary IPS panels.

We’re swimming in smart lock options, but we haven’t seen anything quite as cool as the $700 Lockly Styla, an all-in-one smart deadblot lock and video doorbell being shown off at CES 2025.

It’s a tall, cylindrical handle that’s visually comparable to something you’d find on the door of a brick-and-mortar business but with enough gadgetry to make Bruce Wayne blush.

Coming to the US starting in Q3 2025 in matte black, gray, and gold finishes, the so-called “Designer Handlebar” appears stylishly sleek but would certainly stand out from the traditional levers and knobs in your neighborhood. But even under a strict HOA, I might risk it all for a no-compromise front door security suite that integrates a 2K camera with color night vision, an AI-powered motion sensor, and two-way audio, for starters.

It’s also rife with unlock options, including a rearward 3D fingerprint sensor, a vertical PIN Genie keypad that randomizes digit placement for discreetly inputting numerical keycodes, an RFID reader with three programmable fobs in the box that you can pass around, and a traditional 12-pin slot for the two physical keys included.

You can create dozens of unique keys for each of these methods (including one-time or recurring offline codes), or hundreds in the case of the RFID keys. Lockly includes a new version of its Wi-Fi hub in the box, too, which enables private storage of video recordings and emits an audible chime as an alternative to smartphone alerts.

The inside portion doesn’t have nearly as many interfaces — just grip the handle to unlock the door. As there’s no standard latch handle, it uses a ball catch mechanism to keep the door in place, which should only require a bit of force when pushing or pulling. And because it’s battery-powered, you don’t need a special door or an electrician’s help for installation (it just needs to fall within a specific thickness range). It recharges via USB-C and can last up to 1.5 years in offline mode or 10 months with regular use, Lockly says.

As with other Lockly products, the companion app will let you create and share keys, manage the video feed and talk to visitors, remotely control and check on your lock’s status, and receive real-time notifications for any activity it detects. You can even copy profiles from other Lockly devices you may already own to make setup easier and control it hands-free using Google Home and Alexa voice commands.

When considering all of its separate capabilities, the Lockly Styla doesn’t necessarily offer anything unique compared to existing smart locks or video doorbells, except consolidating it all in such a funky form factor. Still, that’s enough to pique our interest.

Amazon released a new version of its Kindle Scribe in October with an improved pen and new AI-powered writing features. It’s appropriately Amazon’s most expensive Kindle by far, but thankfully, you can finally get it a bit cheaper. The Kindle Scribe (second-gen) with 16GB of storage is down to $324.99 ($75 off) in its first sale at Amazon. You can also get a discount on the 32GB model that drops it to $339.99 ($80 off), or the 64GB model that’s now $364.99 ($85 off). All come with the newest Premium Pen, which adds a shortcut button and a soft eraser tip.

The writing features on the original Kindle Scribe felt more like an add-on to the reading experience than the primary selling point of Amazon’s biggest Kindle. The 2024 refresh further emphasizes the writing experience, however. When writing notes in a document or book directly on top of text, for example, the Scribe will automatically adjust your notations and markups so they’re not interfering with the surrounding text. It’ll also convert your handwriting to typed notes to make them easily editable, searchable, and shareable, plus summarize them using AI.

The ebook reader otherwise feels familiar: it’s still the biggest Kindle available with its 10.2-inch 300 ppi display, with a new textured cover that adds paper-like friction while writing. Amazon refreshed the design with thinner bezels that are now white. If you already have the Kindle Scribe, you can probably skip the upgrade (unless you need the slight hardware refinements) as it received most of the same software features in a recent update.

Read our Amazon Kindle Scribe (2024) review.

A few more deals to distract you from CES

• The GoPro Hero 13 Black debuted for $399.99, but now you can get the action camera bundled with two batteries, a carrying case, a grip handle, and a 64GB microSD card for just $299.99 ($150 off) at Amazon. That’s an all-time low price for the bundle and matching the record low for the camera itself. The Hero 13 Black uses the same camera sensors as the previous generation model, which supports up to 5.3K 10-bit video recording at 120 frames per second. The newest model adds an integrated magnetic mounting and charging system; three new lens options for macro, ultra-wide, and anamorphic shooting; Wi-Fi 6 connectivity; and slight battery life improvements.
• You can get the Anker MagGo Charger Stand for an all-time low of $35.99 ($14 off) at Amazon and from Anker’s store with code WS7DV2WISMJY. The 2-in-1 stand offers Qi2 charging speeds (up to 15W) for your MagSafe iPhone, with a rotating joint that lets you angle the device up to 45 degrees. There’s also a charging pad in the base for AirPods and other wireless charging earbuds.
• The Shargeek 170 power bank offers a quirky alternative to the black bricks we usually see. You can get the translucent, prism-shaped battery for $139 ($40 off) at Amazon (when clipping an on-page coupon), Huckberry, and Sharge’s online store, which is only about $4 more than the record low. The rugged power bank has IP66 protection against water and dust, and also boasts a 24,000mAh capacity with a 170W total output, including two-way 140W charging through either of its two USB-C ports (there’s also a USB-A port). It also has a digital display that’ll show its charging status and total capacity remaining.

At last year’s CES, we heard from the company behind Ultraloq and U-tec about the $69 Ulticam Dot, a portable security camera that was supposed to launch over the summer. But according to Xthings chief strategy officer Matthew Brown, it delayed the launch until Q1 2025 in part to work on what it considers a “disruptive” feature: giving every Ulticam product seven days of free cloud storage for recordings and offering all features without a premium subscription.

Is that truly disruptive? Well, there aren’t many security camera manufacturers we know of that offer free cloud storage for any meaningful stretch of time, let alone a full week. (Arlo did before removing the option for new customers, and Nest still offers three hours.) Xthings isn’t exactly promising such generosity forever, but Brown says the company is committed to “deliver that experience for as long as we possibly can.” The company is also looking into an optional subscription that would extend cloud storage retention beyond seven days.

Free cloud storage will be available for every Ulticam, starting with the Dot, a battery-powered security camera that leans into its portability. It has a magnetic base that could make it more convenient than other options for travel. While it’s magnetically attached to the base, you can pan and tilt the camera to get the angle just right. You can attach the base to any vertical surface using screws or adhesive for more permanent installation or just set it upright on a flat horizontal surface.

The Dot otherwise follows a proven formula. The weather-resistant 2K camera supports night vision and offers real-time person and motion alerts with configurable detection zones. You can also engage visitors with two-way audio or a siren. It has 8GB of onboard storage for saving clips locally, and it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Xthings says the Dot can last up to nine months in standby mode on four AA batteries (though battery life can vary based on usage).

The brand is also readying high-end wired home security cameras designed to cover your home’s exterior. The previously announced Ulticam IQ ($169 or $199 with 4G LTE connectivity) will come in Q1 2025, while the newly announced Ulticam IQ Floodlight ($199 or $239 with 4G) arrives in Q2. Both start with 2K resolution, but 4K versions will arrive in Q2.

Image: Xthings

The Ulticam IQ has a built-in motion-activated spotlight, while the upgraded model adds two floodlights for better illumination and color night vision. Both IQ cameras also have AI-powered motion detection of vehicles and specific faces with four configurable zones, all processed on-device. Like the Dot, they’ll come with seven-day cloud storage and 8GB of onboard storage, but you can expand that with an SD card up to 128GB.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

If you have a New Year’s resolution to enhance your smart home, buying a smart display isn’t a bad way to kick things off. The Echo Show 5 is one of the most cost-effective ways to add a visual interface to control your devices, especially since it’s receiving a 50 percent discount that brings it down to $44.99 ($45 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. That’s only $5 more than its all-time low. You can also get the larger Echo Show 8 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $84.99 ($65 off), which is also $5 more than its lowest price to date.

The Show 5 makes for a meaningful upgrade if you already own a dedicated Echo speaker. Although it only has a 5.5-inch screen, the Alexa-enabled smart display can still function as your primary smart home hub. You can use it to monitor and manage smart home devices, play and control music, make video calls with its 2-megapixel camera (with integrated privacy shutter), and even stream shows and movies. The small size makes it ideal as a bedside alarm clock or smart photo frame if you later upgrade to a bigger device.

Speaking of which, the Show 8 is what you want if you plan to make the display the centerpiece of your smart home. Not only does the bigger screen allow you to use up to four widgets concurrently, but it also supports Matter and Thread, and doubles as a Zigbee hub. These widely standardized protocols allow compatible smart home devices to work well with the smart display as if they were natively built to do so. Plus, the Show 8 has a more powerful speaker with a satisfying sound for impromptu jam sessions.

Read our Amazon Echo Show 8 review.

A few more deals to start the new year

• You don’t need the holidays to justify a decorative lighting up. You can create fun scenes all year round with Govee’s LED Strip Light M1 Matter, which is on sale at Amazon in either a 6.56-foot strand for $35.99 ($24 off) or a 16.4-foot strand for $59.99 ($40 off), both with an on-page coupon. You can splice multiple of the smaller strips up to 16.4 feet, but the bigger strip offers greater versatility as you can cut it in segments of 6.56 feet or connect two for up to 32.8 feet of lighting. Once set up using your smart home platform of choice (Alexa, Google Home, etc.), you can create custom scenes and colors with 17 different effects, including one that responds to music playback.
• Today only, you can get Hoto’s 35-in-1 Rotary Tool Kit for $46.99 ($53 off) at Best Buy. It has a wide variety of attachments for carving, polishing, sanding, grinding, etching, and more. The small stature makes it suitable for small-scale building projects or creating and refining custom products and gifts. It can get up to 25,000 RPM across five selectable speeds, and there’s a handy LED ring embedded in the head of the tool to help with visibility. Battery life lasts up to 50 minutes before it needs to be dropped on the included charging base.
• Anker’s three-port 735 Charger (Nano II 65W) is available for its all-time low of $29.99 ($26 off) at Amazon and Anker (with promo code WS7DV21DBLJG). The two 65W USB-C Power Delivery ports on the travel-friendly charger can supply power for smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other devices at speeds that won’t make you rage. It has a third USB-A port for gadgets that still use the older connector, too, though it maxes out at just 22.5W.

As we head into 2025, there aren’t many things preventing homeowners from building out a basic home security system. You can start small and cheap with the battery-powered Blink Outdoor 4. If you don’t mind that they’re refurbished (with the same one-year warranty as the new models), you can get two of them with a Sync Module 2 for $74.99 ($90 off) at Amazon, which is only $10 more than the all-time low. A single Blink Outdoor 4 retails for $99.99 new, and its lowest price is $39.99, so you’re still getting a slightly better value than usual.

The weatherproof Blink Outdoor 4 offers a 1080p wide-angle feed with motion detection, infrared night vision, and two-way audio. If you opt for a Blink Subscription Plan ($10 a month or $100 a year for Blink Plus, which is required to run multiple cameras), you’ll get person detection, up to 90 minutes of continuous live view, and unlimited cloud storage for up to 60 days. But if you have subscription fatigue, you can also save clips locally to a USB drive thanks to the included Sync Module 2. Blink says the cameras can last up to two years on just two AA batteries, too, which should make them easy to maintain over the long haul.

More Monday deals to mull over

• You can get the Anker 321 Power Strip with a five-foot cable for as little as $13.99 ($12 off) at Amazon, which is an all-time low price. The 10-foot version is also matching its best price to date at $17.99 ($12 off). The cuboid charger has three AC outlets occupying their own sides of the block, with the fourth side dedicated to two USB-A ports and a 20W USB-C Power Delivery port. It’s a great alternative to a traditional extension cable if you’re looking for one that’s easy to travel with.
• The 8Bitdo Ultimate Wireless Controller is one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers. If you’ve been waiting for a good chance to see for yourself why, Amazon and Best Buy are selling it for $50.99 ($19 off), which is only a few dollars more than the lowest price we’ve seen. It has a pair of drift-free Hall Effect sticks, is easily configurable with custom mappings and profiles thanks to 8Bitdo’s excellent software support, and lasts up to 22 hours (it comes with a charging base, too). In addition to Switch compatibility, you can also use it on Windows PCs, Steam Deck, mobile, and other devices that support Bluetooth controllers.
• The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless is a great multi-platform gaming headset with tons of features and a hefty price tag to match. But thankfully, you can get the PlayStation version starting at $259 ($91 off) at Amazon right now, which is an all-time low. The Xbox version is also on sale for $263.99 ($86 off), which is its second-best price to date. The multiplatform headset has a retractable noise-canceling microphone, and I can confirm it’s comfortable to wear for hours. The included base station can charge one of two included hot-swappable batteries, but it also recharges over USB-C. It also enables PC and console connectivity (plus Bluetooth devices), includes line-in and line-out ports, and has an OLED display with a dial and button for customizing EQ, sound modes, volume levels, and more. Read our review.

If you’ve been waiting patiently to see how Matt Reeves’ story for The Batman continues once the reboot’s sequel arrives, you’ll have to wait a little longer. It was once set to open October 2nd, 2026, after an initial delay caused by the Hollywood writers’ strike derailed Warner Bros. plans to release it in 2025, but the studio has now announced that it’s pushing The Batman Part II even further back to October 1st, 2027, according to Variety.

It appears the most recent shift could be strategic. Variety adds that Warner Bros. has rushed to fill that October 2nd, 2026, slot with an unnamed film featuring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

While that sucks for fans of the bat, one nice consolation is news that Bong Joon-Ho’s Mickey 17 is coming even sooner than expected; it is now scheduled for March 7th, 2025, after delays of its own caused the original 2024 release to slip. Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson (who also plays Bruce Wayne in The Batman Part II) and is directly inspired by the Edward Ashton novel Mickey7, which follows a willingly and literally disposable employee through his many doors of death. Also starring in the film are Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and Thomas Turgoose. Warner Bros. reportedly swapped its release date with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which now opens April 18th, to give Mickey 17 more time on Imax screens.

If you’ve just unwrapped a new Xbox Series X or Series S for Christmas, you’ll have enough storage out of the box to download several games. But you’ll quickly feel the squeeze from 100GB-plus installs, especially if you tend to keep a heavy rotation. Expansion cards are your only relief on Xbox consoles if you’re playing titles optimized for Series X/S. Thankfully, you can get a 2TB expansion card cheaper than ever, with Western Digital’s WD_Black C50 going for $189.99 ($70 off) at Amazon. You can also get it in 512GB for $69.99 ($10 off) and 1TB for $109.99 ($48 off). That said, the 2TB model is the better deal in the long run.

Because the Series X and Series S use a proprietary storage format, you can’t use an external SSD, an internal NVMe SSD (as you could on the PS5), or a standard external hard drive to play newer games that are optimized for those consoles. You can use those hard drives to store Series X/S games, but expansion cards like the C50 are the only ones you can actually play them from. That’s because they support the platform’s “velocity architecture,” which has a minimum speed requirement and uses unique hardware and software tricks to enable console features like Quick Resume, not to mention other benefits for developers. Anyway, you don’t need to be a computer science major to understand the bottom line: if you want more storage for your Series X/S games, you’ll need an expansion card.

A few more deals

• Now through December 31st, home decor brand Umbra is running a sitewide sale that takes 20 percent off most products in its store, including the Cono portable smart lamp we fell in love with at IFA last year that’s down to $76 ($19 off) at Umbra’s online store, for example. Sadly, the taller $130 “Cup” smart lamp with its convenient organizer for a base isn’t discounted, but the Cono is an intriguing tabletop RGB lamp with an X-shaped stand that lets you shine the light vertically or horizontally. As Nanoleaf helped create it, that’s the app you’ll use for manual remote control over Bluetooth. But because it’s also Matter-ready, you can use voice commands and set lighting schedules when it’s connected to a compatible smart home ecosystem.
• Although there’s a newer model with faster polling rates and USB-C charging, the original Logitech G Pro X Superlight is still one of the best gaming mice you can buy. It’s starting around $79.99 (50 percent off) right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Woot, which is an all-time low price. Through December 29th, Woot is taking an extra $5 off with code LOGITECHFIVE. The Superlight is named for its 63-gram weight, but it drops some fan-favorite features to get there, such as RGB, dedicated DPI buttons, and a weighted scroll wheel. However, you still get five programmable buttons (including two mounted on the left edge) and a 25,600 DPI Hero sensor that offers far more optical resolution than most gamers need. The mouse lasts up to 70 hours per charge, though it uses micro-USB for recharging.
• The Beats Pill is matching its all-time low of $99.95 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Apple’s refreshed Bluetooth speaker updates the line with features like two-way USB-C charging and lossless audio. It also has native support for some iOS and Android features, including each operating system’s Find My feature and access to Siri and Google Assistant, but you can’t initiate either via voice. The speaker is built for extended outdoor outings, too, with a battery that lasts up to 24 hours per charge and IP67 protection against water and dust. Read our review.

A couple of months ago, we saw the Sony WH-1000XM4 drop to $129.99, which was an absolute steal for the last-gen noise-canceling headphones. That deal predictably sold out in a heartbeat, and there’s no telling whether we’ll see it that low again, but Amazon is selling them in black for $178.20 (about $170 off), which would be an all-time low if not for said outlier. You can also pick them up in blue and white for $198 right now, though that price is frequently available these days.

The newer Sony WH-1000XM5 have leapfrogged the heap as the best noise-canceling headphones for most people in our book, but the XM4 remain a great pair of headphones if you’re looking to save some money. They feature phenomenal audio quality and noise cancellation, which keeps them in the big leagues occupied by newer sets. They also have nice quality-of-life features, including a foldable design and multipoint Bluetooth support, the latter of which allows you to connect them to two devices simultaneously. The XM5’s improved microphones make them the better buy if you frequently take calls while using your headphones, but not so much that we would dissuade you from saving more than $100 by going for the older pair.

Read our Sony WH-1000XM4 review.

More Monday deals and discounts

• If you want to try something a little different to play games on Xbox and PC, RIG’s Nacon Revolution X controller might be worth checking out. Amazon is selling it in white for an all-time low of $39.99 (50 percent off) when you clip the on-page coupon. You can customize the weightiness of the wired gamepad, change its analog stick shafts and toppers, remap all of its buttons (including its four back buttons), and set thumbstick sensitivity and trigger dead zones using the companion app. It doesn’t have Hall effect sticks and its build quality doesn’t quite match that of the best Xbox controllers; however, those are fair tradeoffs at this price.
• The newly released Insta360 Link 2 is pretty expensive, but you can get it for a new low of $179.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Adorama right now. The 4K webcam is overkill for the average work needs, but its rotating head can be fun for content creation, dynamic presentations, or just to ensure you’re always centered in the frame. The Link 2 builds on the original with magnetic mounting, the ability to recognize and reframe multiple people in a scene, improved gestures, and stronger noise cancellation.
• The budget-friendly Sony ZV-1F is a modest step above a smartphone for basic vlogging needs, and now the camera is going for a new low of around $348 ($151 off) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Sony’s online storefront. It has a 20mm-equivalent fixed focal length lens with a 20-megapixel sensor and decent low-light performance, and records up to 4K at 30 frames per second or 1080p at up to 120fps. It also has an articulating display to help frame your shots, plus eye autofocus like some of Sony’s pricier cameras (but with a less effective contrast-detect autofocus system). The ZV-1F is not a great stills camera as you can’t shoot RAW photos, but it’ll do if all you need are quality clips and YouTube thumbnails.

As people scramble for last-minute gifts and late-year bargains, everyone is double-checking their lists and figuring out the fastest way to get their purchases. Thankfully, many retailers are offering generous shipping policies for their products, with some offering free two-day shipping or even same-day delivery if you pay extra. And just in case the gift you choose isn’t quite right, many retailers are also offering extended return policies so your giftee can get something more to their liking.

For your convenience, we’ve collected the current holiday shipping cutoff windows for items that can still arrive by Christmas. We’ve also checked the latest return policies for several major retailers below, highlighting which will give you a little more time to place that order or start a return. Hopefully, knowing more about how much leeway you have will help lessen that inevitable holiday angst (fingers crossed).

Amazon

Shipping: Same-day delivery is not available on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. However, Prime members can get free same-day delivery on select products in qualifying ZIP codes through December 24th, provided they meet the “minimum threshold” (which varies by location) of eligible items in their cart. One-Day Delivery with no minimum purchase amount required is also available to Prime members for qualifying products through December 23rd, while Two-Day Delivery is available through December 22nd. Non-Prime buyers will find shipping options on the order page of each specific product.

Returns: During the holidays, most items purchased between November 1st and December 31st can be returned until January 31st, 2025. Apple products, however, must be returned by January 15th, 2025. Note that this policy applies to both Prime and non-Prime buyers.

Apple

Shipping: Apple offers free delivery of in-stock items by Christmas Eve if you order by 9PM ET on December 21st, though engraved items won’t ship in time by Christmas. Apple also offers two-hour delivery for an added fee from local stores in most metro areas, or you can opt to pick up purchases yourself by visiting your local Apple Store.

Returns: Except for T-Mobile- and Verizon-financed iPhones, all products purchased online between November 8th and December 25th can be returned through January 8th, 2025. Purchases made after December 25th are subject to the usual terms and conditions, and must be returned within 14 calendar days of your initial purchase date.

Target

Shipping: Target offers free two-day shipping on many orders if you spend $35 or more or use your Target RedCard. Select purchases made by December 23rd at 1PM ET will arrive before Christmas. You may also be able to take advantage of same-day shipping or in-store pickup on December 24th. Same-day delivery costs $9.99 per order, but it’s included with a Target Circle 360 membership ($10.99 a month or $99 a year). Your mileage may vary for same-day delivery availability based on the item and your location.

Returns: Target allows electronics and entertainment items (excluding Apple products) purchased from November 7th through December 24th to be returned as late as January 24th, 2025, for a full refund. Mobile phones and Apple products (including Beats products) purchased during the same window must be returned by January 8th, 2025. Target’s standard return policy applies for most other items, with a generous 90-day window for third-party products and up to a year for Target-branded products with a receipt.

Walmart

Shipping: For eligible orders of $35 or more, Walmart provides free next-day delivery in eligible ZIP codes, free two-day delivery, or free standard shipping. However, be aware you must order your gifts by 12:30PM local time on December 23rd to get them in time for Christmas. Walmart Plus subscribers also get free next-day and two-day shipping with no order minimum.

Same-day delivery and pickup is available on December 24th for orders made by 12PM local time. If you’re willing to pay a $10 Express Delivery fee and order by 4PM local time, Walmart will also deliver your packages in less than two hours on Christmas Eve. Walmart Plus subscribers may be exempt from paying this fee, however, as members get one Express Delivery for free during the month of December.

Returns: Most items purchased between October 1st and December 31st may be returned until January 31st, 2025. Some exceptions, like phones, may apply.

B&H

Shipping: During the holidays, B&H offers free two-day and next-day shipping on select items, including discounted products. Most other products are eligible for free standard shipping (that’s one to seven business days), and free expedited shipping (one to three business days) is generally available for items over $49.

Returns: B&H allows purchases bought after November 3rd through December 31st to be returned or exchanged through January 30th, 2025 (with the usual exceptions of non-returnable items such as computers or TVs whose packaging has been opened).

Photo by Umar Shakir

Best Buy

Shipping: Best Buy is offering free next-day and two-day shipping on qualifying orders for My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members. Non-members, meanwhile, can get free next-day shipping on qualifying orders totaling $35 or more.

If you’re ordering a gift for Christmas, Best Buy’s extended holiday shipping window gives you until 11:30AM ET on December 23rd if you want your gift to ship for free and arrive before December 25th. You can also get free same-day delivery by 7PM on December 24th if you place an order by 12PM local time. The cutoff for placing curbside or in-store pickup orders is 5PM local time through December 24th. Stores will close at 7PM that day.

Returns: Purchases made November 1st through December 31st can be returned through January 14th, 2025. This doesn’t include items that come with a third-party contract, such as phones, cellular tablets, and wearables (which have a 14-day return period), or holiday products, such as tree decorations and major appliances, which have a 15-day return window. My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members also have until January 14th, 2025, to return any purchases made between October 24th and November 16th; otherwise, there’s a 60-day return window for purchases made on November 17th or later.

Costco

Shipping: At Costco, shipping fees depend on the product and the shipping method, though in many cases, shipping is free. The wholesale retailer also offers a variety of delivery options, including “white glove” service for larger appliances. You can get your gift in time for Christmas without paying for shipping when you place a qualifying order by 5:59PM ET on December 20th. Same-day delivery is also available on some items via Costco’s partnership with Instacart.

Returns: Costco generally has an open return policy, except for electronics such as TVs and computers, which have a 90-day return window. There are other exceptions, though, which are listed on its return page.

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

GameStop

Shipping: GameStop currently offers free shipping on orders over $35. It also offers same-day delivery in certain locations if you order from your local store at least three hours before closing.

Returns: Products purchased between November 17th and December 24th can be returned until January 18th, 2025. The package must be unopened, however, and certain items like trading cards, clearance items, and seasonal products can’t be returned.

Dell

Shipping: Most of Dell’s products come with free standard shipping (no minimum purchase necessary), and some gifts may ship for free in time for Christmas if you place your order by December 21st. The delivery window can vary based on your order, but Dell does offer expedited shipping options as well as a delivery date estimate based on the zip code you provide at checkout. Orders placed by December 23rd with qualifying express delivery windows should arrive before December 25th.

Returns: Dell offers a 30-day return policy with some exceptions; a restocking fee of up to 15 percent may be charged.

DJI

Shipping: DJI offers free shipping on purchases of $149 or more. Otherwise, shipping fees are specified on the order form. Shipment times can vary for each product depending on availability.

Returns: DJI offers returns within 14 days of receiving the purchase, provided it remains in like-new condition or suffers from some type of manufacturing defect.

Google

Shipping: All standard orders qualify for free shipping with no minimum. Just note that this applies to the lowest-cost shipping available, which may not be the fastest.

Returns: Google will accept returns through January 15th, 2025, for all purchases made between November 21st and December 31st. Standard return dates for products purchased within that window that extend beyond January 15th will be eligible for the later return date. All purchases made after January 1st, 2025, are subject to the standard return policy, which allows you to return most items up to 15 days after receipt (or 14 days for AT&T phones). However, Nest Thermostats and Verizon contract phones have an extended, 30-day return window.

HP

Shipping: For many items, standard (three- to six-day) shipping is free. You can get ready-to-ship gifts in time for Christmas with free express shipping if you place an order by 3AM ET on December 21st. Orders placed by December 23rd can still arrive by Christmas, though you’ll have to pay extra for priority shipping. HP will not ship or deliver items on Christmas, Thanksgiving, or New Year’s Day.

Returns: Items purchased between December 1st and December 25th can be returned until January 15th, 2025, or 30 days after delivery, whichever is later. There are exceptions, however, and select items may be subject to a restocking fee of up to 15 percent. Returns totaling more than $250 may also require additional review before your return request is approved.

Microsoft

Shipping: Most products sold through the online Microsoft Store include free two- to three-day shipping with express shipping available for an additional fee. To receive your gifts by Christmas Eve, however, you’ll have to place your order by 2PM ET on December 23rd.

Returns: You can return most physical products purchased online from the Microsoft Store within 60 days of receiving the product, provided they’re in like-new condition. The item must also be in its original packaging with all parts, manuals, and anything else that was originally sent with the product included. Items exempt from this policy include digital gift cards and gift cards for services and subscriptions, as well as select hardware (including the HoloLens 2).

Newegg

Shipping: Many of Newegg’s items come with free shipping and are delivered within one to five business days; for details, check the individual product page. If you want your gifts to arrive in time for Christmas, you’ll have to place your order by 12PM local time on December 23rd and opt for next-day delivery.

Returns: Qualifying items purchased between October 7th and December 31st can be returned or replaced until January 31st, 2025.

Sam’s Club

Shipping: According to the Sam’s Club FAQ, the shipping cost for most items varies based on the item’s size, weight, shipping method, and delivery address. Plus Members get free shipping on many online items, and same-day delivery or curbside pickup is available for free if you’re a Plus member ($110 a year) and place a qualifying order totaling $50 or more by 1PM local time. Club members ($50 a year) can pay $12 for same-day or next-day shipping, or get free curbside pickup on orders of $50 or more.

Returns: Sam’s Club has no specified return period; some return periods may be stated for specific products. For example, electronics and major appliances have a 90-day return window, while phones are subject to a 14-day return policy.

Sonos

Shipping: Sonos offers free shipping on all of its products, with in-stock items typically shipping the same day if they’re purchased by 11AM local time. If you want to receive your items by Christmas, though, you’ll likely have to pay extra for two-day or express shipping.

Returns: Sonos gives you 30 days to return a purchase and even offers free return shipping. However, you must have bought the product directly from Sonos and the return must be initiated within 30 days of receiving your purchase. The product must also include the original packaging and be in new or as-new condition to be eligible.

Update, December 20th: Updated the shipping deadlines and return policies as they pertain to the 2024 holiday season.

In recent years, base MacBook Pro models have felt like an automatic skip. It made more sense to pay just a few hundred more for upgrades that truly justify the “Pro” moniker, or save money by stepping down to a MacBook Air without many sacrifices. But that’s changed as of the M4 model. With the base MacBook Pro with M4 matching its all-time low price of $1,399 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo right now, it’s quite possibly the best value of any MacBook available.

The 10-core M4 chipset has a decent speed advantage over the 8-core M3 inside last year’s MacBook Pro, of course. Apple claims its CPU has the strongest single-threaded performance of anything out there, not to mention a neural engine that’s two times faster than the M3’s. Our benchmarking certainly corroborates that it’s faster, although depending on what you’re doing on the laptop, you may not notice much difference. But what really sets the 2024 model apart is its starting allotment of 16GB of RAM, which is double that offered by previous generations. That helps with the Apple Intelligence features seeding into macOS Sequoia and also makes it suitable for heavier tasks than most average workloads require.

The M4 MacBook Pro also picked up a third Thunderbolt 4 port this cycle, plus an upgraded 1080p webcam that has a taller field-of-view for the new Desk View feature. Those are all very good advantages for the money, and you should only feel compelled to step up further if you have stronger needs such as heavy 4K or 8K video editing, photo editing, programming, or other intensive tasks.

Read our Apple MacBook Pro M4 review.

More fun Friday deals

• The Beats Studio Buds Plus in silver are matching their all-time low of $119.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, which is only $10 more than the lowest price to date. If you want to join the translucent revolution and get it in clear (or other colors), those are just $129.99 ($40 off) right now at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The wireless earbuds offer pretty good sound quality and effective noise cancellation, though not quite as good as the second-gen AirPods Pro. They last longer than Apple’s flagship earbuds, however, with up to nine hours of battery life in the buds and 36 hours total with the case. They also pair nicely with both iOS and Android devices, supporting several native features for each platform. Read our review.
• You can get a four-pack of Apple AirTags for $69.99 (about $29 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is matching the lowest price to date. These Bluetooth trackers can be a popular stocking stuffer option for the iPhone owners in your life, or to pair with your own keys, bags, luggage, and other things you’d rather not lose. Not only will they constantly report their last known location, but on iPhones with ultra wideband radios (iPhone 11 and newer), Precision Find My will offer guided compass directions that’ll lead you within inches of the item once you’re in range.
• If you want some floral home decor that doesn’t need babysitting, Lego’s flowers are a fun alternative to artificial plants. Take the 608-piece Lego Icons Poinsettia set, which is down to $34.98 (about $15 off) at Amazon right now. The resulting construction depicts a bouquet of the popular flowers sprouting from a woven basket, and you can adjust its various petals and leaves for posing however you like. As of this writing, it’s still shipping fast enough to arrive before Christmas, making it a great option for last-minute gifts or to add to your festive holiday decorations.

With the holiday season in full effect, you can expect a fresh stream of Christmas noobs entering your multiplayer lobbies. If you’re on an Xbox or PC and looking to keep the pressure on during ruthless initiation rites, the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Gaming Controller can help maximize your effectiveness. It’s usually a pricey spend at $179.99, but you can get the full kit with its extra back buttons, analog stick toppers, D-pads, and wireless charging dock for just $124 ($56 off) at Amazon and Walmart right now, which is a new record low price.

For comparison’s sake, the Elite Series 2 Core includes none of those extras, save for the tool that lets you adjust the analog stick’s tension. The Core is appropriately cheaper as a result and starts around $94.99 ($45 off) at Best Buy, Target, and Amazon right now. While you can buy the components separately for $59.99, the two combined turn out to be more expensive than buying the full Elite Series 2 package. That said, it’s a viable way to get the full experience with the Core’s exclusive red, blue, and white color options.

The Elite Series 2 — usable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows — offers the most customizability of any first-party pro-style controller and is still one of the most configurable options from any brand. In addition to hot-swappable D-pads and four removable back buttons, you can swap the analog stick tops and adjust their tension. The triggers support three different stop levels. You’ll also get extensive software-based button remapping through Xbox and Windows, but you can’t make changes on the controller itself. And the controller doesn’t use removable batteries like the official standard controllers, meaning you can’t swap in a fresh set if their capacity shrinks over time. But Microsoft says it’ll last up to 40 hours before you need to recharge, and you have convenient charging options between its USB-C cable and the included dock.

Read our Xbox Elite Series 2 review.

A few more deals

• If the price of the Xbox Elite Series 2 is more than you want to pay for a fresh gamepad, the standard Xbox Series X/S Wireless Controller is also on sale at Best Buy and Target in white for $34.99 ($25 off), which is an all-time low price. It has no customization options outside of the remappable buttons that you can set up in Xbox and Windows, but it still offers Microsoft’s beloved ergonomics and the advantage of user-replaceable batteries — whether you go for a pair of AAs or an endless sea of rechargeable options.
• If you’re partial to Roku’s incredibly easy user experience, the Roku Streaming Stick 4K can be a nice alternative to the Apple TV 4K or the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K — and the $29.99 sale price ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target is a good value. Compared to the older Streaming Stick Plus, the 4K model offers a bit more speed for zipping around apps and now supports Dolby Vision to go along with HDR10 Plus. It doesn’t have Wi-Fi 6 or Dolby Atmos like the pricier Roku Ultra, but it still supports basic surround sound codecs. It also comes with a great voice remote that has a headphone jack and shortcuts to popular streaming apps. Read our review.
• Astro Bot for PlayStation 5 recently won game of the year at The Video Game Awards, so we understand any sudden thirst you may have to play it. Thankfully, the physical copy is still discounted to its record low of $49.97 (about $10 off) at Walmart, Best Buy, and GameStop right now. We thought the platforming puzzle game had system-selling, game-of-the-year-worthy appeal well before the votes were tallied. That’s because of its charming new mascot and supporting cast, imaginative gameplay and aesthetic, and an increasingly rare and intangible sense of magic and joy that got so many of us hooked on gaming in the hobby’s earliest years. Read our review.

If you missed the first sale on the 2024 Kindle Paperwhite during Black Friday, now’s your chance to write your own redemption arc. Right now, you can get Amazon’s newest ad-supported ebook reader at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $134.99 ($25 off). That’s still $5 shy of its all-time low, but it’s a pretty good discount this early into its life. You can also get it without ads at Amazon for $154.99 ($25 off).

There’s not much incentive to upgrade if you already own an older Paperwhite, but if you’re an avid reader, you’ll likely appreciate the newly minted seven-inch display, which is the biggest of any Paperwhite to date. It’s also 25 percent brighter than the previous model and features a higher contrast ratio, allowing for improved readability. The jump from 10 weeks of battery life to three months is a more substantial upgrade — as is a new processor, which supposedly makes a big difference when it comes to page-turning speeds — but we’ll need to finish putting Amazon’s latest e-reader through its paces before rendering our final verdict.

However, despite the iterative nature of the aforementioned updates, there’s a good chance the 12th-gen Paperwhite is going to remain the best option for most people. Amazon’s new entry-level Kindle is a bit smaller (and slower), and while the jazzy Kindle Colorsoft offers the best color screen on an e-reader so far, it will run you an extra $120 over the Paperwhite. That’s a lot for a non-essential upgrade.

More deals to beat the holiday crunch

• Now through December 25th, Grid is taking $100 off its Grid 1 frame — which bears the iPhone 2G’s guts for all to see — when you use Verge-exclusive code TV100, which drops it to $299. You can also use code TV20 to take 20 percent off any other product in the studio’s online store, so long as it’s not part of an ongoing promo. Grid’s disassembled, explosive displays offer a museum-style look at the components that make up some of the most iconic gadgets to hit the scene over the years. They’re also a great gift for wannabe tinkerers who appreciate the beauty of circuitry, especially since they’ll arrive before Christmas if you act fast enough.
• If you don’t need a robot vacuum that can sweep your baseboards or empty its own bin, the Eufy 11S Max is on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $129.99 ($120 off), which is one of its better prices to date. The entry-level robovac isn’t the smartest option available, but it’s at least aware enough not to bump into walls or tumble over stairs. The 11S Max offers good carpet and hard surface cleaning with relative quietness, too, and its 600ml bin is roomy enough to go through several cleanings before it needs to be dumped.
• A small, fast charger like Anker’s Prime Charger can come in handy if you’re traveling for the holidays. Luckily, Amazon and Anker are selling the 100W GaN charger for a record-tying $45.99 ($39 off), the latter with promo code WS7DV2FXJI84. Anker’s charger is thin enough not to horde all the space on a wall socket yet fast enough to charge almost anything (laptops included). It has three ports (two USB-C and one USB-A) to cover your charging needs, along with a folding prong for convenient storage.

From the unbeatable Switch Pro and comfy Joy-Con alternatives to a dongle that lets you use your Xbox or PlayStation controllers with your Switch, these are the best Switch controllers you can get.

Read the full story at The Verge.

As good as the Backbone One is (read our review of the original version), it can be hard to justify earmarking $100 for a mobile gaming controller. Even at its common $70 sale price, you’re entering pro controller territory. That said, a 50 percent discount for the second-gen Backbone One (USB-C) seems worth jumping over the fence for. Today only, you can get it for $49.99 at Best Buy, which is a record low price and just in time for the Resident Evil 2 remake that’s soon launching on the iPhone.

The Backbone One’s USB-C connector means it works both with Android smartphones and iPhones 15 or newer. It’s sleek with a bubbly grip sized just right to comfortably reach any of its face buttons, triggers, bumpers, or analog sticks. Ergonomically, it’ll lose to bulkier controllers, but should feel pretty good in most hands and is infinitely better than pecking away at the screen. The controller also has USB-C passthrough charging and 3.5mm for headphones and headsets.

The Best Buy-exclusive Warzone Mobile edition on sale here is mostly a spiritual tie-in: it’s visually and functionally identical to the standard Backbone One, but comes with free in-game rewards. You can use it with any games or apps with controller support, including cloud streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now. The purchase includes a free one-month trial of Backbone Plus ($40 a year afterward), which unlocks more app features like gameplay recording, live streaming, and Play on Any Screen (the latter enabling wired gaming on PC and tablets). You’ll also get three months of Apple Arcade ($7 a month value).

More deals and discounts

• The Logitech G203 Lightsync is on sale starting at $18.99 ($21 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Logitech. The wired gaming mouse doesn’t boast the same button count or overall features from the brand’s flagship models. That said, it still has six programmable buttons total, plus an accurate sensor 8,000 DPI optical sensor and a scroll wheel with lock. It even has a touch of RGB lighting that you can customize with your favorite colors or sync to the action in your game using the G Hub app.
• You can get the Anker Power Bank (30W, Fusion, Built-In USB-C Cable) in black for $19.99 (50 percent off) from Amazon when clipping the on-page coupon. The versatile travel-friendly charger has a built-in folding wall plug on one end to charge the 5,000mAh battery inside, but you can use the USB-C cable on the opposite end to do the same. There’s versatility in charging modes, too — you can use it in battery mode with the USB-C cable to charge smartphones or other devices at 22.5W speeds, or plug it into an AC outlet and use it as a 30W USB-C adapter.
• Besides its name potentially stoking cravings for a sweet roll, the Ultimate Ears Miniroll may pique your interest for other reasons, one being the record low $49.99 price Amazon, Sweetwater, and Ultimate Ears have it for right now. The portable Bluetooth speaker is circular, roundish, and small enough to stow in a bag or pocket, and the integrated clip lets you attach it to belt loops, straps, pole, and any other object thin enough to clamp. The IP67 speaker has oversized buttons and floats in water, too, and lasts up to 12 hours per charge. You can buy a second one and sync it for stereo sound, but you may find it surprisingly loud on its own.

While the best iPad deals usually land during major sale events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day, many great iPad deals are attainable outside those times. The day-to-day discounts may come and go like changing winds, but there’s often something to be saved, particularly on the more affordable iPads. The most recent iPad Pro and iPad Air are also starting to see substantial price reductions, and you can even save a bit on Apple’s new iPad Mini.

It’s difficult to know where exactly you can find the most notable iPad deals unless you’re scouring the major retailers on a daily basis. But that’s often what our deal hunters at The Verge are doing each and every day, so let us help you out. Below, we’ve listed the best deals you can get on each iPad model that is currently available, from the cheapo ninth-gen iPad of 2021 to the latest models equipped with Apple’s powerful M2 and M4 chips.

The best iPad (2021) deals

Announced alongside the iPhone 13 way back in 2021, the ninth-gen iPad is Apple’s aging entry-level tablet, one that’s still great at carrying out everyday tasks despite having been discontinued. The ninth-gen model originally started at $329 with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage, which arguably makes the newer 10th-gen model the better deal if you don’t need a home button or a headphone jack, as it now starts at $349 and is often on sale for even less.

The last-gen iPad has been receiving a steep discount for quite a while, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find in most configurations. That being said, Amazon and Walmart are selling the 64GB base model with Wi-Fi starting at $249 ($80 off), which is about $50 shy of its all-time low. As for the step-up 256GB variant, third-party seller Adorama is selling it at Amazon in select colors for $408.99 (about $70 off).

The last-gen iPad uses an A13 Bionic processor and a 12MP wide-angle camera with Center Stage, a feature designed to keep you framed up and centered while on video calls. The tablet also carries over a number of features from its predecessor, such as the 10.2-inch display, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the home button, and a smart connector for connecting a smart keyboard.

The best iPad (2022) deals

Although the newer 10th-gen iPad came out in late 2022, it’s still an excellent tablet — one we consider to be the best value for most people (once Apple dropped its price). The latest iPad modernizes the design with a switch to USB-C, uniform bezels with no home button, a side power button with a fingerprint sensor, and a larger display, but it eliminates the 3.5mm headphone jack.

In the past, you could often buy Apple’s latest entry-level iPad for $349 ($100 off its initial launch price) — which is now the MSRP. Right now, however, the base model with 64GB of storage is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $279 ($70 off), which is $30 more than the all-time low. Amazon and Best Buy are also selling the 256GB model with Wi-Fi for $429 ($70 off), which is about $20 more than its best price to date.

The best iPad Mini (2024) deals

The new seventh-gen iPad Mini is similar to the outgoing model but comes with faster Wi-Fi and USB-C speeds, support for the Apple Pencil Pro, and a newer A17 Pro processor with 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence. Otherwise, it boasts nearly identical specs and features as the last-gen model, meaning it has an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display, a USB-C port, and options for 5G. It may not be worth upgrading if you already own a sixth-gen Mini, but newcomers to the category should appreciate the upgrades.

The 2024 iPad Mini starts at $499 with 128GB of storage, which was the price for the previous generation’s 64GB model. Electing for 256GB of storage brings the price up to $599, and the cellular models start at $649. These are some big numbers for a small iPad, and the larger iPad Air might be worth considering if you prefer your dollar to go further with more screen real estate. But if you want an Apple tablet in the smallest possible form factor, this is where the action is.

Right now, you can get the 128GB base model with Wi-Fi at Amazon and Walmart for $479 ($20 off), which is $30 more than its lowest price to date. You can also get the Wi-Fi model with 256GB of storage at Amazon and Walmart starting at $577 ($22 off), which is $17 more than its lowest price to date.

The best iPad Air (2024) deals

The 2024 iPad Air doesn’t feature any groundbreaking changes compared to the 2022 release, but notably, there is now a 13-inch configuration in addition to a base 11-inch model. Apple also added Wi-Fi 6E radios and upgraded the chipset to M2, which enables the hover feature when using Apple’s latest styluses. You can use the newer iPad Air with the Apple Pencil Pro and both previous-gen Magic Keyboards, too. The 11-inch iPad Air starts at $599, while the comparable 13-inch model starts at $799.

Deals for the 2024 iPad Air started to appear before the latest model even hit store shelves. Right now, you can pick up the 11-inch base model with 128GB of storage and Wi-Fi at Amazon and Best Buy for $499 ($100 off), which is its best price to date. The 13-inch iPad Air with 128GB of storage, meanwhile, is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for an all-time low of $699 ($100 off).

The best iPad Pro (2024) deals

Compared to the latest iPad Air, the 2024 iPad Pro is a far more impressive upgrade. The 11- and 13-inch models start at $999 and $1,299, respectively, and they are the first Apple devices to feature the company’s latest M4 chip, which brings moderate performance gains and dedicated hardware for on-device Apple Intelligence processing. The new Pro models can claim other firsts, too, such as being the first iPad models with OLED displays and the lightest Pros yet, which is true for both sizes. They also feature repositioned front-facing cameras that sit along the horizontal edge, which prevent you from looking as though you’re staring off into space on a video call.

As for deals, the 11-inch iPad Pro with Wi-Fi / 256GB of storage is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy for $899 ($100 off), which is only $2 more than the lowest price to date. The sleek and super-thin 13-inch model, meanwhile, is on sale in its 256GB base configuration at Amazon and Best Buy for $1,099 ($200 off), which is an all-time low price.

Whether you’re assembling a PC, planning an epic Etsy crafts store, or just fixing a squeaky old chair, we found some handy tools that anyone can appreciate.

Read the full story at The Verge.