Although the launch of Samsung’s S22 lineup is still fresh in everyone’s minds, the Korean smartphone maker still has a number of unique and powerful handsets available to buy. That includes foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and mid-range devices like the Galaxy S21 FE, all of which happen to be discounted as part of a one-day Amazon sale. Our pick of the bunch is the Galaxy Z Flip 3, which has fallen to $850 and represents a 15 percent savings on its usual price. It’s also the second best price we’ve seen.
The Z Flip 3 is, in our mind, the best Samsung foldable yet. It scored an 82 in our review, which was helped by its improved durability (with better scratch and water resistance), its main 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rates and Flex Mode, which quickly splits apps like YouTube in half to separate content and controls. When closed, the 1.9-inch external screen will display small snippets of information like the weather and calendar reminders but also provide easy access to features like Samsung Pay.
If you’ve had your eye on Samsung’s other foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, then Amazon has you covered there, too. For today only, the 2-in-1 handset is $1,400, which is $400 (or 22 percent) off its normal price. The Z Fold 3 improves on its predecessor in nearly every way, including better durability and displays that are 29 percent brighter while consuming less energy. It also includes the S Pen, letting you scribble down notes while on the go.
Rounding out the sale is the Galaxy S21 FE (Fan Edition), which at $525 has fallen to a new all-time low at the retailer. The Galaxy S21 FE is essentially last year’s flagship without the frills, with the same 5-nanometer processors, 120Hz refresh rate in a slightly bigger display and a familiar triple camera system. It actually has a larger battery and comes with Android 12. With it now on sale for 25 percent less than its normal retail price, it might be easier to ignore those minor drawbacks and bag yourself Samsung’s affordable no-nonsense handset.
If you missed the chance to buy Apple’s AirPods Pro when they were $175 in February, they’re now back down to that price once again. Amazon has discounted the company’s best-sounding earbuds by 30 percent for a limited time. You could probably get them for less if you’re patient, but we’re unlikely to see them drop to their previous low of $159 for quite some time.
While they’re a few years old now, the AirPods Pro are still one the best pair of wireless earbuds you can buy. We awarded them a score of 87 when Apple first released them in 2019. Since then, the company recently refreshed the included case to offer MagSafe charging in addition to the original Qi and Lightning options that came at launch.
As before, what the AirPods Pro lack in sound quality, they more than make up in utility. They feature active noise cancellation alongside a transparency mode that’s useful for ensuring you’re safe when out walking on a busy street. An IPX4 rating also means you can safely use them during workouts. With Apple’s included H1 chip, Hey Siri support allows you to control the AirPods Pro without reaching for your iPhone or one of the stems. That might not seem like much, but it’s one of those features that’s invaluable when your hands are full.
Last but certainly not least, since the AirPods Pro come with interchangeable silicone tips they’re the Apple earbuds to buy if you’re unsure if the one-size-fits-all approach of the second- and third-generation AirPods will work with your ears.
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If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to pick up a robot vacuum, you’ll want to turn your attention to Amazon. The retailer has discounted one of the best mid-range models: the Eufy RoboVac X8.
For today only, it’s $200 off, so you can purchase one for $400 instead of $600. The X8 is missing some features you’ll find on more expensive robot vacuums. Most notably, it doesn’t come with a clean base. It also doesn’t include the mop functionality found on Eufy’s X8 Hybrid model. However, if you can do without those two features, the X8 represents excellent value, particularly at $400. It comes with four cleaning modes and four suction levels. Even running the vacuum at its lowest setting, we found it could still thoroughly suction up dust and dirt. We also found it was easy to set up, with a mobile app that offers a handful of valuable features, including a “tap and go” one that lets you pinpoint any spot in your home for cleaning.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option, consider the RoboVac 30C. It’s not as powerful as the X8 and it features a less advanced navigation system but at its current price of $170, down from $300, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better robot vacuum for the price.
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The first branch of Google’s Equiano underwater internet cable — which will eventually run from Cape Town, South Africa to Lisbon, Portugal — has landed in Lomé, Togo, the company announced Friday. The massive fiber optic cable will be Google’s first t…
Your Steam Deck can now double as an Xbox Cloud Gaming handheld, provided you’re willing to put in some work. The Vergereports Microsoft has brought Xbox Cloud Gaming support to the Steam Deck through a beta release of the Edge browser. You’ll need to run some command line tasks on top of installing Edge (Microsoft recommends a mouse and keyboard during the install), but after that you can play Halo Infinite and other titles anywhere you have a reasonably fast internet connection.
Community Manager Missy Quarry made clear this was “just the beginning” of gaming on Edge, suggesting the experience might get better. Microsoft’s team is open to feedback on Edge and the Xbox Cloud Gaming experience.
Microsoft has devoted significant energy to Steam Deck Support in recent days. On top of game streaming support, it outlined first-party game support for Valve’s handheld with word that titles like Deathloop and Psychonauts 2 are verified to play properly. Separately, Valve enabled basic Windows support by offering drivers.
It’s not shocking that Microsoft would support the Steam Deck despite its use of a Linux-based platform. Microsoft not only makes money from the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription you’ll need to play, but gets you to try Edge and games you might have otherwise ignored. What the company might lose in immediate Windows sales it could gain in long-term customers.
This week was a good one if you were looking for a good deal on the latest Apple gadgets. Not only are the AirPods Max still $100 off, but you can also grab the Apple Watch Series 7 for $339 and the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro for $200 less than usual. Elsewhere, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones remain on sale for $278 and Amazon’s Echo Show 5 is 47 percent off and down to only $45. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
AirPods Max
Billy Steele/Engadget
Apple’s AirPods Max are $100 off right now, bringing them down to $449. We gave the premium headphones a score of 84 for their excellent sound quality, good ANC and reliable onboard controls.
The 512GB version of the 16-inch MacBook Pro is $200 cheaper than usual right now, bringing it down to $2,299. This is one of Apple’s latest and most powerful laptops and we gave it a score of 92 for its blazing fast performance, fantastic keyboard, lovely Liquid Retina XDR Display and array of ports.
Apple’s latest iPad mini is on sale for $459, which is $40 off its normal price. We gave the small tablet a score of 89 for its lovely display, refined design and excellent battery life.
Certain colors of the Apple Watch Series 7 are down to $339, or $60 off their normal price. Apple’s latest flagship smartwatch earned a score of 90 from us for its slightly larger display, faster charging and handy watchOS8 features.
Our current favorite pair of ANC headphones, Sony’s WH-1000XM4, are down to $278 right now. That’s $72 off their usual price and close to an all-time low. They earned a score of 94 from us for their powerful ANC, immersive sound quality and multi-device connectivity.
The Bose QC45 headphones are on sale for $279, which is their all-time-low price that we saw last Black Friday. We gave the cans a score of 86 for their excellent sound quality, strong ANC and comfortable fit.
The second-gen Echo Show 5 is on sale for $45, or 47 percent off its normal price. You can also pick up the Kids version for only $55. It earned a score of 85 from us for its great sound quality, tap-to-snooze feature and compact design.
Google’s second-gen Nest Hub is down to $55, or $45 off its usual price. We gave it a score of 89 for its minimalist design, clearer audio quality and bright display.
A two-pack of the Google Nest WiFi system is on sale for $189 across the web. That’s only $10 more than the pack was during the holiday shopping season last year, so this is a solid sale. We gave the mesh WiFi system a score of 84 for its minimalist design, simple installation process and built-in Google Assistant smart speaker.
A number of Tile trackers are up to 20 percent off at Amazon. You can pick up the 2022 Tile Mate Essentials pack for $68, a two-pack of Tile Stickers for $45 or a single Tile Mate for only $20. These tiny gadgets attach to your belongings so you can keep track of them using Tile’s companion mobile app.
A number of Samsung gaming monitors are on sale again, including the Odyssey Neo G9 mini-LED display, which is $500 off and down to $2,000. If that’s still a bit too far outside your budget, you can grab the 34-inch Odyssey G5 gaming monitor for $430; the 32-inch Odyssey G3 monitor for $230 or the 24-inch Odyssey G3 gaming monitor for $180.
Shark’s robot vacuum with self-cleaning base is down to $500 right now, or $150 off its normal price. You’re getting a powerful robo-vac that can clean carpets and hard floors easily, and it has support for UltraClean Mode, LiDAr navigation, home mapping and more. Plus, you’ll only have to empty its clean base about once every two months.
The Fire TV Cube is back down to a record low of $70, or 42 percent off its normal price. We gave it a score of 84 when it came out for its 4K streaming with Dolby Vision and HDR+, speedy performance and hands-free Alexa controls.
The T7 Touch portable SSD in 1TB is on sale for $140 right now. This palm-sized drive works with most devices thanks to the duo of cables it comes with, and it supports 1,050 MB/s read speeds, 1,000 MB/s write speeds, AES 256-bit encryption and Dynamic Thermal Guard.
Kobo’s Libra 2 e-reader is $20 off and down to $180. We like its ergonomic, waterproof design, its sharp 7-inch display and ability to play audiobooks.
Kohler’s high-tech shower head is down to a record low price of $99. It works as a regular shower head but it’s Alexa-enabled, so you can do things like play music and add things to your shopping list while you’re bathing. It also has a magnetic, removable speaker so you can take it with you around the house.
The Beats Studio Buds are 20 percent off and down to $120. We gave these true wireless earbuds a score of 84 for their tiny, comfortable design, good sound quality and quick-pairing on both Android and iOS.
Sony’s 55-inch Bravia XR OLED set is $600 off right now, bringing it down to $2,200. In addition to deep blacks and the improved contrast that comes with OLED TVs, this set also supports XR Motion Clarity, HDMI 2.1, Acoustic Surface Audio+ and Alexa voice commands.
Fitbit’s most advanced smartwatch, the Sense, is down to £189 right now. That’s not a record low, but it’s still 37 percent off its usual rate. We gave it a score of 82 for its comprehensive health tracking features and big, bold display.
Arturia is offering a solid deal on its MiniLab MkII, which may lower the barrier to entry for those who want to try making music with a MIDI keyboard. Not only has the company dropped the price to $99, a reduction of 25 percent, it bundled the MiniLab MkII with software worth over $400.
The MiniLab MkII is a portable, 25-key MIDI keyboard controller. It has 16 velocity and pressure-sensitive pads, the same number of rotary encoders and two touch strips for modulation and pitch bend. The USB-powered device has eight user control presets too.
The MiniLab MkII comes with Ableton Live Lite, a version of one of the most popular DAWs around. It offers dozens of instruments and effects. With Analog Lab Intro, you’ll get access to 500 presets, while UVI Grand Piano replicates the sound of the Steinway Model D grand piano. The bundle also includes Mini V, Stage-73 V and Rev PLATE-140 plugins.
At 3.3 lbs, the MiniLab MkII isn’t the most portable MIDI controller around. Still, it’s a great option for beginners.
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Apple’s updated iPad mini may be a niche device because of its size, but it’s got enough power to suit most people’s needs. We gave the small tablet a score of 89 when it came out last year, and now you can pick it up at a discounted price. Amazon has the pink, purple and space gray 64GB models for $459, which is $40 off and a record low.
You probably already know if the iPad mini will fill a hole in your life. The e-reader-sized tablet will be best for those who will use it precisely for things like reading and taking notes, as well as anyone who just wants a more compact tablet to take with them on the go. With the 2021 version, Apple finally gave the iPad mini the facelift many had been hoping for, changing its design to look more like a smaller iPad Air with a nearly edge-to-edge, 8.3-inch 2,266 x 1,488 resolution Liquid Retina screen, flat sides and a TouchID-capable power button. It also works with the second-generation Apple Pencil, and that accessory magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet when you’re not using it.
The A15 Bionic chip inside the iPad mini helped it handle everything we threw at it, including light gaming, web browsing, note-taking and more. Plus, FaceTime calls are even better on this tablet since the front-facing camera supports Center Stage, which will keep you in frame while you’re chatting with friends and family. We also appreciate that the iPad mini lasted about 12 hours in our testing before it needed to be recharged, so it can be your main tablet all day long if you’d like it to be.
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Capping off a week of Apple reviews (iPhone SE here, iPad Air right here), we’ve got the verdict on the company’s impressive new desktop PC. It looks like a big Mac mini but houses some incredibly powerful components, centered around Apple’s newest M1 chips. According to Senior Editor Devindra Hardawar, the Mac Studio delivers the power and ports creative professionals need. Even though it’s not upgradable, it’s a Mac that can finally compete with high-end PC workstations. The Mac Studio starts at $1,999 with the M1 Max chip and jumps to $3,999 if you want to tame the M1 Ultra. Yes, those prices may seem high, but they’re in line with PC workstations meant for editing 4K and 8K video. This isn’t for the same audience as the Mac mini.
An update should address complaints about image quality.
On the subject of Mac Studio, its companion Studio Display has some webcam issues. An Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch and The Wall Street Journal the company will update the Studio Display through software to address an issue where the webcam isn’t “behaving as expected.”
Hogwarts Legacy will arrive on PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles in time for the holidays. And fortunately, that’s not all — during yesterday’s State of Play livestream dedicated to the open-world RPG, WB Games Avalanche dropped a trailer offering the first real look at how it’ll play. It’s set in the 1800s, so there’s almost an entirely new roster of characters, professors and villains.
Our short, snappy guide to cleaning your displays, phones and tablets gets right to the point. You don’t need much to refresh all your screens. Microfiber cloths will get you most of the way, but there are some things we advise against.
The iRobot Genius 4.0 Home Intelligence update has started rolling out to all users.
iRobot’s latest software update gives its Roomba robot vacuums and Braava jet robot mops the ability to respond to Siri voice commands. Similar to Google Assistant and Alexa, you can now set up your custom phrases or simply say “Hey Siri, ask Roomba to clean everywhere” to start the vacuum. You’ll also be able to create customizable smart maps for the Roomba i3 and i3+ models and create custom cleaning routines based on your schedule.
Not to be outdone by rival Apple and its iPhone SE, Samsung’s latest affordable smartphone lands with impressive specs (quad-camera setup, 120Hz screen, 5G and a 5nm chip) while mostly keeping the styling of the company’s latest flagships. The Galaxy A53 is $450, roughly half the price of the top smartphones — and it’s cheaper than last year’s A52.
The main 64-megapixel sensor has optical image stabilization and an f/1.8 aperture, which works alongside a 12MP fixed-focus ultra-wide camera and two 5MP sensors: one for depth detection and another for macro shooting. The camera system has a new 5nm Exynos processor which, Samsung says, made its AI-augmented night mode shooting possible. The A53 can draw together 12 frames and create a more stable (hopefully more detailed) single image.
There are two new colors: peach and powder blue. But if you want to keep it all business, there’s white and black, too. This is Samsung, after all.
