Almost a year ago, I was prompted to look for another budgeting app. Intuit, parent company of Mint, the budgeting app I had been using for a long time, shut down the service in March 2024. The company encouraged Mint users to migrate to its other financial app, Credit Karma, but I found it to be a poor Mint replacement after trying it out. That sent me searching elsewhere to find an app to track all of my financial accounts, monitor my credit score, track spending and set goals like building a rainy-day fund and paying down my mortgage faster.
If you’re looking for a new budgeting app to get your finances straight, allow Engadget to help. I tried out Mint's top competitors in the hopes that I'd be able to find a new budgeting app that could handle all of my financial needs, and to see which are actually worth the money.
How we tested budgeting apps
Before I dove in and started testing out budgeting apps, I had to do some research. To find a list of apps to try out, I consulted trusty ol’ Google (and even trustier Reddit); read reviews of popular apps on the App Store; and also asked friends and colleagues what budget tracking apps (or other budgeting methods) they might be using for money management. Some of the apps I found were free and these, of course, show loads of ads (excuse me, “offers”) to stay in business. But most of the available apps require paid subscriptions, with prices typically topping out around $100 a year, or $15 a month. (Spoiler: My top pick is cheaper than that.)
All of the services I chose to test needed to do several things: import all of your account data into one place; offer budgeting tools; and track your spending, net worth and credit score. Except where noted, all of these apps are available for iOS, Android and on the web.
Once I had my shortlist of six apps, I got to work setting them up. For the sake of thoroughly testing these apps, I made a point of adding every account to every budgeting app, no matter how small or immaterial the balance. What ensued was a veritable Groundhog Day of two-factor authentication. Just hours of entering passwords and one-time passcodes, for the same banks half a dozen times over. Hopefully, you only have to do this once.
Best budgeting apps of 2025
Budgeting app FAQs
What is Plaid and how does it work?
Each of the apps I tested uses the same underlying network, called Plaid, to pull in financial data, so it’s worth explaining what it is and how it works. Plaid was founded as a fintech startup in 2013 and is today the industry standard in connecting banks with third-party apps. Plaid works with over 12,000 financial institutions across the US, Canada and Europe. Additionally, more than 8,000 third-party apps and services rely on Plaid, the company claims.
To be clear, you don’t need a dedicated Plaid app to use it; the technology is baked into a wide array of apps, including all of the budgeting apps listed in this guide. Once you find the “add an account” option in whichever one you’re using, you’ll see a menu of commonly used banks. There’s also a search field you can use to look yours up directly. Once you find yours, you’ll be prompted to enter your login credentials. If you have two-factor authentication set up, you’ll need to enter a one-time passcode as well.
As the middleman, Plaid is a passthrough for information that may include your account balances, transaction history, account type and routing or account number. Plaid uses encryption, and says it has a policy of not selling or renting customer data to other companies. However, I would not be doing my job if I didn’t note that in 2022 Plaid was forced to pay $58 million to consumers in a class action suit for collecting “more financial data than was needed.” As part of the settlement, Plaid was compelled to change some of its business practices.
In a statement provided to Engadget, a Plaid spokesperson said the company continues to deny the allegations underpinning the lawsuit and that “the crux of the non-financial terms in the settlement are focused on us accelerating workstreams already underway related to giving people more transparency into Plaid’s role in connecting their accounts, and ensuring that our workstreams around data minimization remain on track.”
Why did Mint shut down?
When parent company Intuit announced in December 2023 that it would shut down Mint, it did not provide a reason why it made the decision to do so. It did say that Mint's millions of users would be funneled over to its other finance app, Credit Karma. "Credit Karma is thrilled to invite all Minters to continue their financial journey on Credit Karma, where they will have access to Credit Karma’s suite of features, products, tools and services, including some of Mint’s most popular features," Mint wrote on its product blog. In our testing, we found that Credit Karma isn't an exact replacement for Mint — so if you're still looking for a Mint alternative, you have some decent options.
What about Rocket Money?
Rocket Money is another free financial app that tracks spending and supports things like balance alerts and account linking. If you pay for the premium tier, the service can also help you cancel unwanted subscriptions. We did not test it for this guide, but we'll consider it in future updates.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/best-budgeting-apps-120036303.html?src=rss
It may be fashionable to spend $1,000 on the latest flagship smartphone when they first get released, but it's not necessary. You don't even have to spend $500 today to get a decent handset, whether it’s a refurbished iPhone or an affordable Android phone, as there are plenty of options as low as $160 that could fit your needs.
But navigating the budget phone market can be tricky; options that look good on paper may not be in practice, and some handsets will end up costing you more when you consider many come with restrictive storage. While we at Engadget spend most of our time testing and reviewing mid- to high-end handsets, we've tested a number of the latest budget-friendly phones on the market to see which are actually worth your money.
What to look for in a cheap phone
For this guide, our top picks cost between $100 and $300. Anything less and you might as well go buy a dumb phone or high-end calculator instead. Since they’re meant to be more affordable than flagship phones and even midrange handsets, budget smartphones involve compromises; the cheaper a device, the lower your expectations around specs, performance and experience should be. For that reason, the best advice I can give is to spend as much as you can afford. In this price range, even $50 or $100 more can get you a dramatically better product.
Second, you should know what you want most from a phone. When buying a budget smartphone, you may need to sacrifice a decent main camera for long battery life, or trade a high-resolution display for a faster CPU. That’s just what comes with the territory, but knowing your priorities will make it easier to find the right phone.
It’s also worth noting some features can be hard to find on cheap handsets. For instance, you won’t need to search far for a device with all-day battery life — but if you want a great camera phone with excellent camera quality, you’re better off shelling out for one of the recommendations in our midrange smartphone guide, which all come in at $600 or less. Wireless charging and waterproofing also aren’t easy to find in this price range and forget about the fastest chipset. On the bright side, all our recommendations come with headphone jacks, so you won’t need to get wireless headphones.
iOS is also off the table, since the $400 Apple iPhone SE is the most affordable iPhone in the lineup. That leaves Android OS as the only option. Thankfully today, there’s little to complain about Google’s OS – and you may even prefer it to iOS. Lastly, keep in mind most Android manufacturers typically offer far less robust software features and support for their budget devices. In some cases, your new phone may only receive one major software update and a year or two of security patches beyond that. That applies to the OnePlus and Motorola recommendations on our list.
If you’d like to keep your phone for as long as possible, Samsung has the best software policy of any Android manufacturer in the budget space, offering four years of security updates on all of its devices. That said, if software support (or device longevity overall) is your main focus, consider spending a bit more the $500 Google Pixel 7a, which is our favorite midrange smartphone and has planned software updates through mid-2026.
Best cheap phones
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/best-cheap-phones-130017793.html?src=rss
The holidays are nearly here and if you’re a bit behind on your gift shopping, you’re not alone. The holidays can truly sneak up on you, and this year that’s been more true than ever. Between wrapping things up at work before some well-deserved time off and making sure you have everything you need to host family and friends, it can be hard to find the time to go to a store to pick out presents. And when you do finally get there, you may be met with half-empty shelves. But this is where the internet comes in handy: you still have time to buy holiday gifts online.
USPS, UPS and FedEx have laid out their holiday shipping deadlines for 2024: Ship your items via the post office by December 18 to have them safely arrive before Christmas, while FedEx and UPS have deadlines of December 13 and December 20, respectively. At this point, we recommend picking up small, affordable gifts that will ship quickly from retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target so you have plenty of time to wrap them up nicely and make it look like you had everything well-planned from the start. Here are the best last-minute Christmas gifts you can get right now and still have in time before the holidays.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-12-best-last-minute-christmas-gifts-for-the-2024-holiday-season-140037775.html?src=rss
Miranda, who is also the author of "You Don't Need a Budget," told the outlet that budget culture is based on "restriction, shame, and greed," and there's little concrete evidence it works in the long term.
Instead, she recommended "intuitive spending" and thinking about your money "moment by moment." Rather than punishing themselves for overspending, people should reward themselves when they save, Miranda said.
Not all financial pros are in agreement, though.
Katrin Kaurov, the CEO and cofounder of the social financial platform Frich, told Business Insider it's true that "everyone hates budgeting."
But she isn't convinced intuitive spending is a good alternative. For some, it can increase debt and result in purchases they don't need.
To budget or not to budget
Doug Carey, a chartered financial analyst and founder of the retirement and financial planning software WealthTrace, told BI that whether to budget is a question that comes up with many of his clients.
Generally, he said he disagrees that people must have a set budget and stick to it. As long as someone can max out their 401(k) contributions and save enough for emergencies, "they can use their intuition for spending."
For these people, it is pretty obvious when they are spending too much, Carey said, because they'll dip into savings.
Budgets can be too limiting for people who are more flexible in their income, such as freelancers or contractors, for example, because these systems don't often allow for easy changes.
Carey said the "micromanagement" of daily things can also "obscure the bigger picture of your financial health," such as long-term financial goals such as retirement savings or building wealth.
"This can create a negative association with managing money and lead to 'budget burnout,'" Carey said. "Many give up on budgeting when they feel like they cannot live within the strict limits of the budget."
Trial and error
Budgets can be more universally helpful if they make room for flexibility.
Kaurov told BI that budgeting isn't inherently toxic, "but many people create budgets with too much enthusiasm and optimism for how little money they will spend from month to month."
People spend more during the holidays, for example. So using December's budget in January probably won't work.
Kaurov said a budget should be about creating a realistic guideline for spending and saving. If you've set one you can't follow, you should rethink it, she said.
"Budgeting is a tricky — but important — skill for people to learn when they're starting to manage their money," she said. "Trial and error is crucial and will allow people to find what kind of budget works best for them."
The grass isn't always greener
Intuitive spending sounds like a good idea, but it may be a case of "the grass is always greener," Kaurov added.
"For so many, especially younger people who are often on a tighter budget anyway, it's a really poor financial habit to develop," she said.
For those who are partial to impulsively buying trendy items from social media ads, "intuitive spending" can quickly turn into overspending on things you don't need.
Julie Guntrip, the head of financial wellness at Jenius Bank, told BI that rather than following absolute rules about their spending, people give themselves grace when things don't go to plan.
"Budgeting practices many times fail because people can't stick to them — an individual makes one misstep and decides to give it all up," she said.
A better course of action may be somewhere in the middle.
"Factoring splurges into a budget could be a great compromise for someone who may feel like budgeting is too constraining," Guntrip added. "This practice may actually help someone stick with a budget longer."
We’re big Lego fans here at Engadget, so it’s not difficult for us to understand why the building block sets are some of the first items to sell out during the holiday shopping season. Kids and adults alike seek out Lego sets all year round, and they make particularly good gifts. Whether you know your recipient loves Star Wars or Super Mario, or they don’t have a fan-favorite franchise and just love building stuff, there are Lego sets out there that all kinds of people will love.
And no, they don’t all cost hundreds of dollars — some, like seasonal advent calendars, come in at $50 or less. If you’ve got a Lego lover on your holiday shopping list (or if that person is you), these are the best Cyber Monday Lego deals for 2024 that you can still get now that Cyber Monday is nearly over. Most of these deals are on Amazon, but you can find the same (or similar) pricing direct at Lego and other retailers like Target.
The highlights for Cyber Monday include a couple of Lego advent calendars: one for Disney fans and another that's more general for all kids. Lego makes a bunch of other advent calendars in addition to these, and we expect to see more of them go on sale in the coming days.
There's also the beautiful Insect Collection, which when completed, includes three life-size, posable models of a butterfly, Hercules beetle and Chinese mantis. Even as someone who detests bun appreciate the elegance of this set and how striking they'd look sitting on a shelf.
Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter sets have been discounted as well. For example, this Star Wars set recreates the "boarding the Tantive IV" scene from Star Wars: A New Hope in which the Rebels battle Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers. This Super Mario expansion set includes a brick-built Bowser and his muscle car, and once complete, you can pull the lever on the car to make its hood ornament move. We'll be updating this post through the entire Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, so check back for the latest offers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/lego-cyber-monday-deals-save-up-to-29-percent-on-star-wars-super-mario-sets-195025962.html?src=rss
You always need extra digital storage when you don’t have any on hand. That’s why it’s always a good idea to pick up an extra microSD card, an additional portable drive and the like when you find them on sale. Black Friday storage deals this year include a ton of good options for all kinds of users, whether you’re a gamer, photographer, creative professional and everything in between. One of the best (and cheapest) discounts comes as part of the Samsung Black Friday sale: the 256GB Evo Select microSD card is down to just $18.
An 18 percent discount might seem modest, but $18 is a new record low price for the storage device. If you want to avoid shopping on Amazon, Samsung has also reduced the cost of the 256GB model on its website, alongside the 128GB, 512GB and 1TB variants.
Samsung’s Evo Select microSD cards are among the best value you’ll find on the market right now. While there are models that offer faster sequential read and write speeds, it’s hard to argue with the Evo Select line’s mix of performance and affordability. In the case of the 256GB model, the capability to deliver sequential read speeds of up to 160 MB/s is good enough for most tasks. I’ve been using a 128GB Evo Select card in my Switch OLED since the end of last year and have no complaints. Plus, each card comes with a 10-year warranty from Samsung. For $18, that’s a steal if you ask us.
If you’re looking for other storage solutions, I’ll also mention here that Engadget has a roundup of the best Black Friday SSD deals. Check that out if you want to save money on a new NVMe, SD card or external drive.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/samsung-black-friday-deal-get-a-256gb-evo-select-microsd-card-for-only-18-133037907.html?src=rss
Guisse once turned down a request for a $2,500 loan from a relative.
Photo courtesy of Aissatou Guisse; Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI
Aissatou Guisse, who moved to the US as a child, sends $250 to relatives in Senegal each month.
In the past, she's felt guilty about saying no to additional requests for monetary support.
After she had a child of her own, Guisse decided to set boundaries around her financial giving.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Aissatou Guisse, a 31-year-old Microsoft employee in Atlanta about the pressure to send money home to relatives in Senegal. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
We're from Senegal, but we moved to the US when I was eight years old. My dad got a green card in the lottery and moved to America in 2000. Once he got here, he saw that educational opportunities were better, so he decided to bring the rest of us along. Our family, including my mom and siblings, moved to the US a year later.
Once we'd moved abroad, family members in Senegal expected my parents to help out financially if needed. I wasn't aware of the details at the time, but I think my parents contributed toward things like medical bills and plane tickets for other relatives.
I was raised in Ohio and went to university there before getting a tech job. In 2019, I moved to Atlanta, and in 2020, I got a job at Microsoft, where I now work in compliance and security.
It wasn't until I started working that the responsibility of sending remittances became more prominent in my life.
Over the years, I've found that pressure and not feeling able to say no to requests for cash has made it hard for me to save and budget. After I had a child of my own, I decided to set boundaries around how much money I send to relatives back home.
I send $250 a month to my family in Senegal in addition to one-off payments
I started financially supporting relatives around 2015. My mom was sending money to my grandma in Senegal every month, even though she had stopped working. When I started working, I had a conversation with my mom, and we decided I'd take that duty off her hands. My company subsidized my housing and travel costs, so I didn't have to change much about my spending at the time.
My grandma has since passed, but I still send roughly $250 a month to that household. I have an aunt, uncle, and some cousins living there. My aunt and uncle don't work. She's older, and he has eyesight issues. They use the money I send to buy groceries.
I also make one-off payments when needs arise, like when someone is sick and needs a prescription or when someone's getting married.
In 2023, 10% of Senegal's GDP came from remittances sent from the diaspora. There are money transfer agencies on every corner in Sengalese neighhorhoods. All the families I know in Senegal with relatives abroad have received money from those family members at some point.
The cost of living has gone up in Senegal, and job opportunities are few and far between.
I have several friends in the US from Senegal who send money home monthly. One friend finances her brother's education.
The remittances I've sent have sometimes been linked to cultural pressure
Other people don't always understand how remittances factor into my life.
I once talked to a financial advisor about my expenses. I showed him my Excel sheet, which included payments to relatives back home. He told me with my paycheck, I should be able to max out my Roth IRA and created a plan involved saying no to supporting my parents. It's hard to work with advisors when their logic goes against the cultural challenges you're facing.
Another time, I was balancing my Excel budget when my Brazilian friend peeked over my shoulder and asked about the things I paid for. When I explained, he said it was stupid.
I know people in other cultures send money back home, but Senegalese culture is particularly focused on not getting other people's hopes down. I've been able to build the regular monthly payments into my budget, but one-off requests from family members have made me feel guilty about saying no.
It's meant I've lacked disposable income, not met savings goals, and can't properly budget.
Even now, when I want to take a vacation, a voice in the back of my mind says I could use that money to help someone.
I eventually decided I needed to put my own needs first
Having a child of my own inspired me to make some changes.
My daughter is going to be two soon. Raising a child comes with additional expenses, and I started thinking about the future and building wealth in the US.
The $250 I send to relatives in Senegal monthly is about 3% of my monthly salary, so it's not a significant portion, but it becomes a bigger concern when I factor in other expenses now that I no longer work for a company that subsidizes some costs and have a child.
I decided I needed to be a bit selfish, not just for me but for my family, by setting realistic boundaries around what I could give to relatives in Senegal.
I now try to stick to a budget as best I can. My siblings and I also opened a bank account and we each throw $20 in there a month. If someone calls from back home, we can send them money from that account, so no one feels the burden alone.
I still send the monthly money to my grandma's household, but for other things, I do a critical case-by-case analysis of whether the payment is necessary. I once said no to a relative who asked for a $2,500 loan. I want to set the expectation that I don't want to be in the business of just giving out money because I have other responsibilities to take care of. But it isn't easy to set boundaries while maintaining friendly familial ties.
My advice for others in my position, with relatives abroad and goals they want to accomplish, is to not feel guilty for putting yourself or your family first.
Do you have a personal story about financially supporting or depending on family members? Email [email protected]
We could all use more time away from screens of all types and sizes, and board games are a fun way to do that and bond with friends and family. Classics like Monopoly and Scrabble may be tried and true, but there are dozens of newcomers in the board game world that are worth checking out. You can find plenty of unique sets out there now, from word puzzles to whodunnits to calming playthroughs that showcase the beauty of the little things in life. Here, we’ve collected 13 of our favorite board games that are not only great to keep on hand in your own home, but that will also make solid gifts this holiday season. From games with giant monsters to those with haunted mansions, we’re sure at least one of these will be a hit with friends and family.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-board-games-to-gift-and-play-this-2024-holiday-season-125529754.html?src=rss
There are plenty of great gadgets on sale today for Cyber Monday that will track your steps or wake you up. But, personally, I'm more interested in the discounts on tools that will boost my beauty routine this winter. So, I'm very excited that the Dyson Airwrap is down to $490 from $600 on Amazon — a 18 percent discount. That brings it to only $10 more than what we saw last year.
Ok, so spending half a grand on hair tools is still quite an investment, but it should be a big boost to your hair. We named it one of the best self-care gifts for 2024 thanks to its air flow system. It uses the Coanda effect to style your hair — theoretically causing less damage to your locks than typical hot tools. The device also comes with six attachments, including a wide-tooth comb, diffuser and Coanda smoothing dryer.
The Airwrap is only one of the Dyson hair products on sale for Cyber Monday. Right now, you can buy the Dyson Airstrait Hair Straightener (another of our self-care gift picks) for $399, down from $500 — a 20 percent discount. The same deal is available on the Dyson Corrale Hair Straightener, while the Supersonic Hair Dryer has dropped to $329 from $430.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/cyber-monday-deals-include-a-110-discount-on-the-dyson-airwrap-153056335.html?src=rss
Cyber Monday deals have brought big discounts to some of our favorite tech, even the devices that are usually quite affordable. For example, our top pick for the best budget wireless earbuds, Anker’s Soundcore Space A40, are down to a record low of $45 right now. That’s 44 percent off, a great discount that makes picking up a new pair of wireless buds for yourself or for someone on your holiday shopping list more accessible.
While the audio quality isn't on the level of high-end earbuds from the likes of Sony and Bose (a feat that would be extremely difficult to pull off at this price range), we feel that the Space A40s have a pleasant, warm sound. They also have features that you'd often have to spend much more to get from earbuds, such as an adaptive active noise cancellation system that adjusts settings automatically depending on the audio in your surroundings.
Other features multipoint connectivity to link the earbuds to two devices simultaneously. They're IPX4-rated for water resistance too. The Soundcore Space A40 earbuds are slated to run for 10 hours on a single charge, with the case adding an extra 50 hours of listening time. A 10-minute charge can add four hours of listening time. The case supports wireless charging too.
This year's Cyber Monday festivities includes all kinds of deals under $50 for consumers on a budget. These include the Amazon Echo Pop smart speaker for $18 and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K for just $29, among many others.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/our-favorite-budget-wireless-earbuds-are-discounted-to-45-for-cyber-monday-154250914.html?src=rss
This time of year has a lot of merry and bright things to be excited about, but it can be stressful if you’re stumped on what to get your mom, dad, best friend, coworker or kids’ teacher as a holiday gift. Whether you enjoy or dread buying gifts for people, it’s safe to say we all want to give our loved ones things they will enjoy and appreciate. But there’s a lot of noise, junk and bad deals disguised as good deals to sift through as we get closer and closer to the holidays.
Allow us at Engadget to help you through it. Here, you’ll find all of our holiday gift guides collected in one place, so you can more easily find the best Christmas gifts you need this year. Are you looking for white elephant gift ideas? Are you struggling to come up with a good gift for the father figure in your life? Are you just looking for a good board game to pick up for your own family? We’ve got you covered with gift ideas for all of those scenarios and more.
The holidays are nearly here and you might be a little more behind on your shopping than you’d like to admit. We don’t blame you — between family gatherings and the final work rush before PTO kicks in, it’s hard to find the time to go to a store to pick out presents. And once you get there, you could find half-empty shelves and very few choices. But that’s why we have the internet: you still have time to buy holiday gifts online. Most of our top picks are cheap enough that they won't hurt your wallet, and small enough to ship quickly and arrive before Christmas.
According to legend, the King of Siam would give a white elephant to courtiers who had upset them. The recipient had no choice but to simply thank the king for such an opulent gift, knowing that they likely could not afford the upkeep for such an animal. It would inevitably lead them to financial ruin. This story is almost certainly untrue, but it has led to a modern holiday staple: the white elephant gift exchange. These gift ideas will not only get you a few chuckles, but will also make your recipient feel (slightly) burdened.
We could all use more time away from screens of all types and sizes, and board games are a fun way to do that and bond with friends and family. You can find plenty of unique sets out there now, from word puzzles to whodunnits to calming playthroughs that showcase the beauty of the little things in life. From games with giant monsters to those with haunted mansions, we’re sure at least one of our suggestions will be a hit with you and your loved ones.
There are way too many online services and subscriptions to keep track of these days, but the flip side is there’s a tool for just about everything. These are some of our favorite digital gifts and subscriptions, including time-tested music, video and gaming services as well as tools to clear your mental space and learn new skills.
The most hyped tech is often also the most expensive: flagship smartphones, ultra-powerful gaming laptops, immersive VR headsets and the like. But it would be wrong to assume that those are the only pieces of technology worth gifting. You don’t have to drain your wallet to get someone a cool gadget that will both be useful and make their lives easier. We’ve collected our favorite pieces of tech under $25 that make great gifts and help you to stick to a budget.
We wouldn’t blame you if you try to do all of your tech shopping around the holidays. That’s when you can typically get the best sales, both on relatively affordable gear and (more importantly) on big-ticket items. But it would be wrong to think that only the most expensive tech is worth gifting. Since we at Engadget test a plethora of gadgets every year, we know that there are some hidden (and not so hidden) tech gems at lower price ranges — you just have to know where to find them.
If someone on your gift list this year is a big techie, you may want to get them something from Apple, Google, Samsung or another big brand. But once you look at the price tags of their most popular devices, you may get discouraged. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a tech gift for someone that has all the cachet of a brand they know and love. These are some of the best gifts you can get from Apple, Samsung, Sony and other big tech companies that come in at $100 or less.
Trying to find the right gift for an unabashed gadget lover during the holidays can be difficult, especially if you don’t keep up with tech industry news yourself. Fortunately, you’re reading Engadget.com, a site entirely staffed by people who spend all day figuring out what new stuff is and isn’t actually good. So allow us to help. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite gadgets and gear that just might satisfy the avid geek in your life.
We at Engadget spend a lot of time thinking about the best tech gifts for anyone and everyone in your life. But during that process, we often can’t help but think about the things we’d like to receive as gifts. Here, we’ve compiled a list of gadgets on our staffers’ wishlists with the hope that it may inspire you to splurge a bit on yourself this year.
There are plenty of things you could get for someone that not only shows how much you care about them, but also remind them that it’s worthwhile to take time for themselves. And while there’s nothing wrong with an aromatherapy candle, it’s more fun to go beyond the obvious choices and look at what tech products could help your loved ones feel their best. Our picks include things like styling gadgets and grooming devices, but also less techy options like a hair turban and face masks.
This year may not go down as one of the best years in gaming like 2023 did, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t a lot of great new releases. Between titles like Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, there were plenty of games to keep even the most dedicated of gamers busy in 2024. And if you’re shopping for one, especially as a non-gamer, it can be tricky to navigate what’s worth buying. We've got you covered with these recommendations.
A million new video games seem to come out every week, but for some of us, nothing beats the classics. If you know someone who is way into retro gaming but don’t feel like hunting through eBay and local shops for gear to add to their collection, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite gift ideas for the nostalgic gamer in your life, from video upscalers for old consoles to retro-themed books and artwork.
When it comes to making a great cup at home, coffee nerds are constantly learning and love to try new things. Whether the person you’re shopping for is a newly indoctrinated pour over lover or obsessive over every brewing parameter, we’ve compiled a list of the best gear for coffee geeks that you can get this holiday season.
Forget coffee — for billions of people around the world, a freshly steeped cup of tea is the best part of waking up. But with so many varieties and methods of preparation out there, it can be difficult to find the right gift for the tea lover in your life. So to help you out, we’ve put together a list of our favorite products, from kettles to samplers.
There are few things more rewarding than making good food for your friends and family. But after a while, it’s easy to get bored with the same tried and true recipes. And what better way to inject some fun into your favorite home chef’s routine than with a brand-new kitchen gadget? To help you find the right gift for the cook in your life, we’ve put together a list of our favorite kitchen gadgets across a wide range of prices and categories.
We’re all having a bit of a budget crunch this year, but the good news is that when it’s time to bestow presents on the young ones (or young at heart), you don’t have to break the bank. Our list of our favorite tech, science and design toys is stacked with items under $100, with plenty of reuse packed in so the fun can extend far beyond the holiday season.
In Engadget’s Slack rooms, our pets are high on the list of stuff we chat about — just behind work-adjacent tech stuff, insane current events, video games and food. We’ve bought plenty of high- and low-tech stuff to keep our furry friends fed, occupied, safe and happy and we’ve put together the best of what we tried here. Perhaps you’re shopping for your own very good boy or girl, or maybe you have a dutiful pet parent on your list — either way, the gadgets gathered here will make great gifts, according to the enthusiastic tail wags (or aloof meows) of our own fur babies.
Since the dawn of humanity, we have traveled. We’ve come a long way from on-foot journeys laden with animal hide satchels. But the goal of good travel gear is the same: Get you and your necessities to a destination in the highest level of comfort available. If you know someone who is always catching a flight, rides the train to work or is bravely embarking on a cruise, some new tech may just help them out.
There's a pretty good chance you know at least one person who works remotely in some fashion. While the WFH life has its perks — nobody likes a long commute — it comes with its own set of challenges, from lacking pro-level equipment to dealing with household disturbances. If you’re looking to give a gift to someone who spends much of their time in their home office, we’ve rounded up a few techy gift ideas that should make their days a little more delightful, or at least easier to manage.
There are few things better in life than getting lost in a good book — as any book lover will tell you. We have a few heavy readers on staff at Engadget and we all have opinions on the gadgets and subscriptions we think make the experience of reading even better. We've got gift ideas for those who prefer e-reading, as well as for the print-faithful — and of course, some book recommendations, too.
Everyone needs a hobby, and chances are there’s at least one person on your holiday shopping list who fancies themselves a musician. Whether they’re a casual synth noodler, a guitar virtuoso or a singer-songwriter we’ve got recommendations covering a range of price points. Some of these even make a great gift for music lovers who have been considering making the jump to music maker.
Whether that special person on your gift list is a photographer or content creator, a camera or accessory is always highly appreciated. And with technology in areas like autofocus and video quality constantly improving, it’s a great time to own a new camera. However, it can be confusing to sort through the latest models or find the best memory cards, backpacks, tripods and more. Fortunately, we’ve done the research and selected the best cameras at a wide range of prices, along with accessories that will help your loved one get the most out of their gear.
Whether or not you understand your loved one’s desire to wake up before sunrise and get in a 5K is irrelevant when it comes to gifting. Athletes, especially runners, are pretty easy to shop for since they can never have too many of the essentials like socks, gloves, foam rollers, trackers and more. There are plenty of things you can get them that will make their runs more enjoyable, or help them recover more efficiently so they can best yesterday’s time today.
Other than a bike, helmet and a few emergency maintenance essentials, there aren’t many things a person needs to enjoy a bike ride outside. But having the right accessories can go a long way towards making the experience more fun, more safe and, ultimately, more rewarding. Our list of recommendations cover the gamut of things you can give to the cyclist in your life, from must-have safety accessories like bike lights, to more techie gadgets like bike computers.
The great outdoors can be enjoyed all year round, so we’ve compiled a list of the best gifts for the backyard lounger, patio napper or woodland hiker on your list this holiday season. We even offer help with items to improve your tailgate or next beach trip. With everything from grilling gadgets to drinkware and hammocks to splash-proof speakers, there’s something for everyone – no matter how long or how often they venture outside.
We don’t speak for all moms, but a brief and unscientific survey has confirmed one gift most moms will love across the board: Time. Unspoken for, unstructured, zero-obligation time. While we couldn’t find extra hours on sale anywhere online, we did find some gadgets and gizmos that help save time and others that make precious down time more enjoyable.
Many Dads aren’t known for being forthright about what exactly they want for the holidays. (No, “peace and quiet” is not an acceptable answer in this case.) If you’re shopping for a father who likes gadgets but you aren’t sure what to get, let us help jog your brain with these gift ideas.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-best-christmas-gifts-to-give-everyone-on-your-holiday-shopping-list-170018610.html?src=rss
Black Friday 2024 is finally here, but we wouldn't blame you if you thought it's been here for quite some time. Deals began in earnest at the start of November, and it's safe to say that the best Black Friday deals we saw launch about a week ago remain the best ones today.
If you don't want to bother to sift through the plethora of deals across Amazon, Walmart, Target and other retailers, allow Engadget to help. Below is a curated selection of the best Black Friday deals you can get this year. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or for others as you cross things off your gift list ahead of the holidays, we recommend jumping on these deals now before they sell out or before they disappear likely when Cyber Monday is over.
Disney+ Hulu bundle one-year subscription 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.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $154 ($96 off): The best AirPods you can get right now, these offer a secure, comfortable fit, good sound quality and ANC, plus excellent transparency mode. Thanks to a recent software update, the Pro 2 earbuds can be used as hearing aids if the user takes Apple's new hearing test and it discovers mild to moderate hearing loss.
Apple MacBook Air (M3, 13-inch) for $844 ($256 off): The latest MacBook Air 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. If you're ok with getting an M2 processor, that 13-inch MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM is also on sale for $749.
Apple 10th-gen iPad for $250 ($100 off with coupon): The best iPad for those on a budget, this model has a modern design, good performance, a landscape-oriented front-facing camera and a solid battery life. It has also done away with the Lightning port in favor of a more modern USB-C port. Note that some color options are on sale for $279 and have an addition coupon that brings the final price down to $250. Also available (at $279) at Target.
PS5 Slim Digital for $374 ($75 off): If you've been unable to get your hands on a PS5 until now, you can get a decent discount for the holiday shopping season. It earned a score of 87 in our original review for its speedy 4K gaming, minimal load times and excellent DualSense controller. Also available at Walmart, Target and Sony.
Peacock one-year subscription for $20 (75 percent off): The Peacock Black Friday deal is back this year, bringing the price of one year of access to the ad-supported tier down to only $20. Note that the subscription will automatically renew at the regular rate after the first year, and the deal is only available to new subscribers who are not currently paying for Peacock Premium or Premium Plus.
Max 6-month subscription for $18 (70 percent off): This deal gives you access to the Ads tier for $3 per month for the first six months, coming out to a total of only $18 for that time period. New and returning Max subscribers can take advantage of this.
Anker 10K MagGo power bank for $54 ($36 off): This is one of our top picks for the best power banks you can buy today thanks to its versatile capacity, speedy Qi2 charging capabilities, clear screen that shows remaining battery power and its built-in kickstand. The black model has the steepest discount, while the rest are down to $60. Also available at Anker.
Anker Soundcore Space A40 for $45 ($35): The Space A40 is the longtime top pick in our guide to the best budget earbuds, as it delivers the kind of robust feature set we expect from pairs that cost three times as much. Call quality isn't the best, and it won't auto-pause when you take out an earbud, but its warm sound, powerful ANC, eight-ish hours of battery life and comfy design all impress for the money. This deal ties the lowest price we've seen. Also available at Anker with a coupon.
DJI Osmo Mobile 6 gimbal for $89 ($40 off): The latest version of DJI's smartphone gimbal includes improved tracking and a new Quick Launch feature for iPhones that automatically launches the companion app in camera view so you can get to filming. Also available at B&H Photo.
Meta Quest 3s + $75 gift card for $300 ($75 off): A recent addition to our best VR headsets guide, the 3S is our favorite cheap virtual reality device. It's comfortable to wear for long sessions, has fast performance and excellent controllers, plus it has a vast library of games and programs to choose from. Also available at Target.
Bose QuietComfort headphones for $199 ($150 off): The latest version of Bose's iconic QC headphones, these cans have excellent ANC, a comfortable (if a bit dated) design, 24 hours of battery life and a quick-charge feature that will get you two hours of battery after just 15 minutes of them being plugged in. Also available at Bose.
Black Friday FAQs
When is Black Friday 2024?
Black Friday 2024 lands on November 29 this year.
When do Black Friday deals start?
We expect some Black Friday tech deals to start as early as November 1. Over the past few years, retailers have been kicking off the holiday shopping season earlier and earlier. This trend will continue in 2024, and you’ll likely find early Black Friday deals available online and in stores in the weeks before the actual shopping event.
When do Black Friday deals end?
Some Black Friday tech deals will end immediately on Saturday, November 30. But those will likely be few and far between. Along with starting deals earlier and earlier, retailers have also extended Black Friday deals past the day for a while now, too. In the tech space, we’ve seen many Black Friday deals in the past run through Cyber Monday.
Where are the best Black Friday deals?
There is no one place to buy all of the best Black Friday deals, but you can expect the big retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target to have many of the same Black Friday deals available — both in the lead up and on the day itself. We also recommend checking direct-to-consumer sites like Apple, Samsung, Sonos and others to make sure you’re getting the best deal before you cross things off your list.
Does Apple have Black Friday deals?
You typically will not find cash discounts on Apple’s website for Black Friday, though it has offered various gift card bundles during Black Friday in recent years. You may be able to find local Apple store discounts on accessories, but Apple isn’t a retailer known for slashing prices on its products. However, you can find more traditional Apple Black Friday tech deals at other retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-13-best-black-friday-deals-worth-shopping-right-now-get-up-to-70-percent-off-today-163039852.html?src=rss
It’s not hard to understand why Lego sets are some of the most sought-after gifts for the holidays. We’re big fans of the building blocks here at Engadget, and we know they make particularly good gifts this time of year. Whether it’s a Super Mario starter set or a mammoth Star Wars collectible, there are dozens of Lego sets to consider shopping for right now — be it for yourself or for someone on your gift list. And no, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good set as some come in at $50 or less. These are the best Cyber Monday deals on Lego sets you can get this year.Most of these deals are on Amazon, but you can find the same (or similar) pricing direct at Lego and other retailers like Target.
The highlights for Black Friday include a couple of Lego advent calendars: one for Disney fans and another that's more general for all kids. Lego makes a bunch of other advent calendars in addition to these, and we expect to see more of them go on sale in the coming days.
There's also the beautiful Insect Collection, which when completed, includes three life-size, posable models of a butterfly, Hercules beetle and Chinese mantis. Even as someone who detests bun appreciate the elegance of this set and how striking they'd look sitting on a shelf.
Star Wars, Super Mario and Harry Potter sets have been discounted as well. For example, this Star Wars set recreates the "boarding the Tantive IV" scene from Star Wars: A New Hope in which the Rebels battle Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers. This Super Mario expansion set includes a brick-built Bowser and his muscle car, and once complete, you can pull the lever on the car to make its hood ornament move. We'll be updating this post through the entire Black Friday and Cyber Monday time period, so check back for the latest offers.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/lego-black-friday-deals-you-can-still-get-up-to-32-percent-off-star-wars-and-super-mario-sets-150013341.html?src=rss
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