Today’s best deals: A bunch of Apple devices, Amazon Fire HD tablets, and more


Today’s best deals: A bunch of Apple devices, Amazon Fire HD tablets, and more

Ars Technica


It’s Wednesday, which means the time has come for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a variety of discounts on Apple devices. The Apple TV 4K, for instance, is down to $130 at various retailers, which is the lowest price we’ve tracked to date. The higher-capacity 64GB model, meanwhile, is down to a new low of $150. That’s still a high price for a 4K media player—particularly when the latest Google Chromecast, our favorite 4K streaming stick, is currently on sale for $40—but if you’ve got cash to burn and prefer Apple’s interface, this deal lessens the cost at least somewhat. Apple’s set-top box isn’t as smart as Google’s streamer when it comes to proactively recommending content you might like and its lack of 120 Hz support is still disappointing. However, its hardware is more futureproof, its remote is much improved over past horrorshows, and, perhaps most notably, its UI isn’t as riddled with ads as competing platforms like Amazon and Roku. It’s still not a great value, but if you live in Apple’s world and have been looking to upgrade, its price is a little more palatable here.
Speaking of overpriced-but-high-quality Apple devices, the company’s AirPods Max are also on sale for $429. While this isn’t an all-time low, the noise-canceling headphones don’t fall to this price often, and the discount is still $120 off Apple’s MSRP. We recommended the AirPods Max in a past guide to wireless noise-canceling headphones: Their design is on the bulky side, they can’t fold up for easier storage, and they’re oddly reliant on a thin charging case, but their powerful active noise cancelation and exceptionally clear sound are arguably the best we’ve heard from a wireless headphone. If you’re an iPhone user and, again, can afford to pay up, this deal brings them closer in price to competing models from Sony, Bose, and the like. If you want a more affordable set of premium noise-cancelers, though, note that Sony’s still-great WH-1000XM4 are currently discounted to $278.
Beyond that, the excellent iPad Mini is back down to $399, which matches the best price we’ve tracked (as well as the MSRP of the previous-gen model, but we digress). The latest Apple Pencil stylus is down to a joint-low of $99, while those who prefer the 16-inch MacBook Pro can get one for $200 off Apple’s usual going rate. The free six-month Apple Music trial that we highlighted over the weekend is still going on as well, and both Target and Best Buy are running promotions that get you a $10 store gift card at no extra cost when you buy a $100 Apple gift card.

If you want no part of Apple, though, our roundup has plenty more on offer, including lower-than-usual prices on Amazon Fire HD tablets, Google Nest smart home devices, wireless Sonos speakers, Roomba robot vacuums, well-reviewed gaming laptops from Acer and Gigabyte, board games and video games we like, and much more. We also have a couple of “buy two, get one free” sales at Amazon and Target that encompass a wide range of books, games, and movies. You can find our full curated list of deals below.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Featured deals of the day

Apple's AirPods Max are on the bulky side and rely on an odd charging case, but <a href="https://arstechnica.com/staff/2021/11/best-black-friday-headphone-deals-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">they offer top-notch</a> active noise cancellation and audio quality for a wireless headphone.
Enlarge / Apple’s AirPods Max are on the bulky side and rely on an odd charging case, but they offer top-notch active noise cancellation and audio quality for a wireless headphone.

Jeff Dunn

Electronics deals

If you must have a small tablet, Apple's iPad Mini (front) is the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/09/the-more-pricey-2021-ipad-mini-is-the-best-one-apple-has-ever-made/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best premium choice</a> you can buy.
Enlarge / If you must have a small tablet, Apple’s iPad Mini (front) is the best premium choice you can buy.

Andrew Cunningham

Amazon's Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/12/the-ars-technica-ultimate-holiday-gift-guide-2020/2/#h10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comes with</a> a protective bumper case, a two-year warranty, and a one-year membership to Amazon's Kids+ service, which includes a variety of kid-friendly shows, books, games, and so on.
Enlarge / Amazon’s Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet comes with a protective bumper case, a two-year warranty, and a one-year membership to Amazon’s Kids+ service, which includes a variety of kid-friendly shows, books, games, and so on.

Jeff Dunn

The <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/the-sonos-roam-is-the-smallest-and-least-expensive-sonos-speaker-to-date/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sonos Roam</a> isn't the best-sounding wireless speaker we've tested, but if you're a heavy Sonos user and want a truly portable speaker that can slot into your existing system, it should do the job.
Enlarge / The Sonos Roam isn’t the best-sounding wireless speaker we’ve tested, but if you’re a heavy Sonos user and want a truly portable speaker that can slot into your existing system, it should do the job.

Jeff Dunn

Smart home device deals

If you use a bunch of Google apps and want a relatively affordable smart display without a built-in camera, Google's Nest Hub is <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/07/googles-nest-hub-is-the-best-bedside-smart-display-and-sleep-tracking-helps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a fine choice</a>. It also has sensors for some basic sleep tracking.
Enlarge / If you use a bunch of Google apps and want a relatively affordable smart display without a built-in camera, Google’s Nest Hub is a fine choice. It also has sensors for some basic sleep tracking.

Corey Gaskin

Laptop and desktop PC deals

The latest Apple TV 4K is still much pricier than most other 4K streamers, but its hardware is powerful, its UI isn't as filled with ads, and its updated Siri Remote (seen above) is generally far less aggravating to use than <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/01/ux-rant-the-nightmare-horrorshow-that-is-the-apple-tv-remote/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous models</a>. Naturally, it also slots in neatly with other Apple devices.
Enlarge / The latest Apple TV 4K is still much pricier than most other 4K streamers, but its hardware is powerful, its UI isn’t as filled with ads, and its updated Siri Remote (seen above) is generally far less aggravating to use than previous models. Naturally, it also slots in neatly with other Apple devices.

Apple

TV and home entertainment deals

<em>Targi </em>is a pleasing <a href=
Enlarge / Targi is a pleasing board game we like for two-player game nights.

Thames & Kosmos

Gaming deals

We named <em>Celeste</em> <a href=
Enlarge / We named Celeste our Game of the Year in 2018.

Video game deals

The darkly comedic assassination game <em>Hitman 3</em> made <a href=
Enlarge / The darkly comedic assassination game Hitman 3 made our best games of 2021 list.
The addictive roguelite <em>Rogue Legacy 2 </em>is <a href=
Enlarge / The addictive roguelite Rogue Legacy 2 is one of our favorite games of 2022 thus far.
The <em>Zelda</em>-like adventure <em>Tunic</em> is another <a href=
Enlarge / The Zelda-like adventure Tunic is another early highlight of 2022.

Andrew Shouldice / Finji

The first-gen (left) and second-gen (right) Apple Pencil styluses. The <a href=
Enlarge / The first-gen (left) and second-gen (right) Apple Pencil styluses. The former is for the base iPad and various older models, while the latter is compatible with newer iPad Pros and iPad Airs, as well as the latest iPad Mini.

Samuel Axon

Accessories and miscellaneous deals



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