Category: Technology

Hubble is still providing dramatic pictures of the universe despite the arrival of the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA and the ESA have released a Hubble image of Arp-Madore 417-391, a strange galaxy collision about 670 million light-years away. Their gravitational tug-of-war has produced an odd ring-like shape where the two galactic cores are relatively close and the star “plumes” form a circle.

The telescope spotted the merger using its long-serving Advanced Camera for Surveys, which has helped detect strange galaxies and even dark matter. Researchers are using the orbital hardware to build a list of follow-up observations for the much newer James Webb telescope, which has sometimes been used in tandem with Hubble to study space objects.

The Arp-Madore 417-391 galaxy collision in its greater context.

You may not see Hubble leading these discoveries for much longer. The telescope has suffered a number of system failures in recent years, and is expected to plummet to Earth as soon as 2030 if there are no interventions. While NASA and SpaceX are considering boosting Hubble’s orbit to keep it active, that extended lifespan isn’t guaranteed. This galaxy crash may represent one of the telescope’s last hurrahs, even if the observatory has years left in space.

 

Smartwatches and fitness trackers have become some of the best phone accessories available now. Not only can they prevent you from whipping out your smartphone every second to check alerts, but they can help you get healthier by promoting habits like regular exercise, standing up throughout the day and more. If you’re shopping for yourself on Black Friday, you probably have a good idea of which wearable you want — but the decision can be harder if you’re looking to gift one of these gadgets. We’ve collected the best deals on our favorite smartwatches, fitness trackers and other wearables here so you don’t have to go searching for them.

Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch Series 8 is $50 off and down to $349 for Black Friday, which is a record low. While not a huge departure from last year’s Series 7, it does build upon that wearable’s solid foundation. You’ll find all of the Series 7’s features on the Series 8, along with a new skin temperature sensor and crash detection. Essentally, Apple didn’t fix what wasn’t broken and we consider the Series 8 to be the best smartwatch you can get right now.

Buy Apple Watch Series 8 at Amazon – $349

Apple Watch SE

The second-generation Apple Watch SE is on sale for $229, which is an all-time-low price. Apple upgrade a lot in this smartwatch — it has a new SiP and a larger screen, both of which help the new SE look and feel more modern. Apple still left some features to the Series 8, include an always-on display, ECG reader, skin temperature sensor and a few others, but if you can live without those upgrades, the Apple Watch SE gives you a ton of value at its relatively affordable price.

Buy Apple Watch SE at Amazon – $229

Apple Watch Ultra

The Apple Watch Ultra is $60 off and down to $739 for Black Friday, which remains high, but still represents a good deal on this high-end smartwatch. This wearable was designed for the most adventurous among us, with a titanium case, a larger digital crown, physical buttons, 100m of water resistance and more. We gave it a score of 85 for its big, bright display, durable build and even longer battery life when compared to other Apple Watches.

Buy Apple Watch Ultra at Amazon – $739

Fitbit Charge 5

Fitbit’s Charge 5 is $50 off and down to only $100 for Black Friday. It’s the most capable fitness tracker the company makes, complete with built-in GPS, a full-color touchscreen, on-device EDA sensors for stress tracking and more. We gave it a score of 82 when it came out last year in part for all of those reasons, along with its Fitbit Pay functionality and its multi-day battery life.

Buy Fitbit Charge 5 at Amazon – $100

Fitbit Inspire 3

The new Fitbit Inspire 3 is down to $70 for Black Friday, which is $30 off its usual price. We named this the best budget fitness tracker you can get right now, and that’s only more true when you can pick it up while on sale. The Inspire 3 is more slim than the Charge 5, and while it doesn’t have built-in GPS, you can use its connected GPS feature to map runs and bike rides if you have your phone with you. We also like its automatic workout tracking and long battery life.

Buy Fitbit Inspire 3 at Amazon – $70

Fitbit Sense 2

Fitbit’s Sense 2 smartwatch is $100 off and down to $200 right now. This is the latest model of the company’s flagship smartwatch, and it supports all-day stress monitoring with cEDA sensors, blood oxygen measurements and an ECG app. That’s on top of all the standard features you’d expect in a smartwatch at this price range: daily movement and sleep tracking, built-in GPS, Fitbit Pay, onboard Alexa capabilities and more. If you’re looking for something even more affordable, the Fitbit Versa 4 has dropped to $150 for Black Friday.

Buy Fitbit Sense 2 at Amazon – $200Buy Fitbit Versa 4 at Amazon – $150

Google Pixel Watch

Google’s new Pixel Watch is $50 off and down to $299 for Black Friday. This is one of the most anticipated wearables of the year, being Google’s first Pixel-branded smartwatch and a marriage between the Android giant and Fitbit (which is now owns). We gave the Pixel Watch a score of 74 — while we liked it, we didn’t love it. It has a super attractive design and excellent health and fitness tracking features, but it’s brought down by bad battery life. Google promises 24 hours of wear, but we typically only got through 12 hours before getting low-power warnings. 

Buy Pixel Watch at Amazon – $299

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 5 has dropped to $229 for Black Friday, which is a record-low price. While it’s a modest update to the Galaxy Watch 4, we believe the Watch 5 is the best wearable for Android users. We gave it a score of 85 for its durable yet attractive design, comprehensive health tracking features and its slightly improved battery life.

Buy Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 at Amazon – $229

Garmin Vivoactive 4s

A number of Garmin wearables are on sale for Black Friday, key among them being the Vivoactive 4s for $175 — that’s nearly half off its usual price and a record low. We like this model’s clean design and its extensive health tracking features, which include blood oxygen monitoring, built-in GPS, more than 20 pre-loaded workout profiles and more. The Vivoactive 4s also support smartphone alerts, Garmin Pay, space for onboard music and a battery life of up to seven days.

Buy Garmin Vivoactive 4s at Amazon – $175

Withings ScanWatch

Withings’ ScanWatch has dropped to $240 for Black Friday, which is $60 off its normal price. It has a hybrid design, meaning its face is analog but it includes two subdials that show you information like steps, heart rate and more. It also has an ECG measurement tool, blood oxygen monitoring, water resistance up to 50m and a whopping 30-day battery life. If you like the look of the ScanWatch but want something a bit more budget-friendly, Withings’ Steel HR is also on sale for $135 right now.

Buy Withings ScanWatch at Amazon – $240Buy Withings Steel HR at Amazon – $135

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

 

If you’ve already snapped up an iPad in a Black Friday sale, you might want to grab an Apple Pencil to go with it. The second-gen version of the peripheral has dropped back to an all-time low of $89 on Amazon. That’s $40 or 31 percent off the regular price. The Pencil hit that price for the first time last month.

Buy Apple Pencil (2nd-gen) at Amazon – $89

We reckon it’s the best iPad stylus you can get your hands on. That shouldn’t be too surprising, given Apple designed it to work seamlessly with iPads. Although the second-gen Apple Pencil is over four years old, it still has a lot of utility — especially if you have the latest iPad Pro with an M2 chip.

That tablet supports a “hover” feature. It can detect when the Pencil is within 12mm of the screen. You’ll be able to see a preview of any mark you plan to make on a sketch or design before you apply it. Apple says this feature will allow for greater precision. If you hold the peripheral over an app on your homescreen or dock, the screen will zoom in slightly, as though you’re aiming a mouse pointer at the app.

The second-gen Apple Pencil pairs with your iPad automatically, so you won’t need to futz around with Bluetooth to connect them. The peripheral can also magnetically attach to the side of certain models, which will charge the Pencil too. 

It’s definitely worth making sure your iPad is compatible with this device before you snap it up. It works with the sixth-gen iPad mini, iPad Air (5th and 4th-gen), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 4th, and 5th generations) and 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd, 2nd, and 1st generations). The second-gen pencil is not compatible with the entry-level iPad, not even the redesigned model that Apple released last month.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

 

The UK government will amend its Online Safety Bill with measures designed to prohibit abuse of intimate images, whether or not they’re real. If the bill becomes law as is, it will be illegal to share deepfake porn without the subject’s consent. This would be the first ban on sharing deepfakes in the country and if the law comes into effect, violating this rule could lead to a prison sentence.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice aims to ban “downblousing,” which it describes as an incident “where photos are taken down a woman’s top without consent.” The country banned upskirt photos, which are exactly what the term suggests, in 2019. Furthermore, the government wants to make it illegal to install certain equipment, including hidden cameras, to capture images of someone without their consent.

The UK banned revenge porn in 2015 and the government is aiming to expand the scope to make it illegal for anyone to share any intimate image of someone without consent. As it stands, prosecutors have to prove that the perpetrator had “intent to cause distress.” Based on recommendations from the Law Commission, the government also intends to establish two additional serious offenses, which are “based on intent to cause humiliation, alarm, or distress and for obtaining sexual gratification.” Officials already intended to outlaw cyberflashing, or sending unsolicited nudes, as part of the Online Safety Bill.

“We must do more to protect women and girls, from people who take or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate them,” Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and secretary of state for justice, said. “Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice and safeguard women and girls from such vile abuse.”

The government hasn’t yet released the text of the amended Online Safety Bill. “The government will bring forward the wider package of changes as soon as parliamentary time allows and will announce further details in due course,” the Ministry of Justice said. The bill has been delayed several times but it’s set to return to parliament in December. 

As TechCrunch notes, though, finding parliamentary time to formally read the amended bill, then to eventually debate and vote on it, may not be easy. It’s unclear whether the government will be able to pass the legislation before the next general election is called within the next two years.

Critics have pushed back against certain aspects of the bill, including a revived plan to verify a person’s age before permitting them to access adult content online. For many reasons, that measure may not be workable in practice.

The proposed legislation has also been described as a threat to free speech. On Thursday, an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed by 70 cyber security experts, organizations and elected officials laid out some of the dangers to privacy and security that the bill poses. Among other issues, the signatories argued that the Online Safety Bill includes “clauses that would erode end-to-end encryption in private messaging.” The letter adds that UK businesses would have less data flow protection than counterparts in the US and EU, “leaving them more susceptible to cyberattacks and intellectual property theft.”

“The bill is a deeply flawed censorship proposal that would allow UK residents to be thrown in jail for what they say online,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation said this week. “It would also force online service providers to use government-approved software to search for user content that is deemed to be related to terrorism or child abuse. In the process, it will undermine our right to have a private conversation, and the technologies that protect that right, like end-to-end encryption.”

 

If you’ve wanted a robot vacuum but were put off by the sometimes-high prices, now’s your chance to dive in. Anker’s Eufy brand is holding a Black Friday sale on Amazon that includes major discounts for its robotic cleaners, including lower-priced models. The RoboVac 11S Max is down to just $130, or 48 percent off its usual price. One of the company’s best devices, the RoboVac X8, has dropped to $300 instead of its usual $500. Other products are typically at least 30 percent off.

The RoboVac 11S Max is a more powerful version of the base 11S that made it to our list of the best budget robot vacuums. That model is not only capable and intelligent, but slim enough to clean under chairs and tables that might block some competitors. The improved suction might increase noise, but it should also catch more crumbs than its standard counterpart.

The RoboVac X8, meanwhile, is a non-hybrid variant of one of the best robot vacuums we’ve seen at any price. It won’t mop like the X8 Hybrid, but you can still expect strong suction, laser navigation and WiFi. This machine will not only suck up more debris (including pet hair) than some of its rivals, but do so more efficiently. At this price, it’s easier to rationalize than mid-tier competitors costing hundreds of dollars more.

Buy Eufy RoboVac X8 at Amazon – $300

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

 

This may be your best chance to get Apple’s latest ‘starter’ tablet on sale this holiday season. Amazon is offering the new 64GB WiFi iPad for $426, or $23 below the official price. This is the first time we’ve seen a bargain for the device. You’ll see similar five percent discounts for 256GB and cellular models, and you don’t have to be picky about colors.

The 2022 iPad is a mostly welcome redesign. Apple has finally ditched the thick bezels of past base models, and has replaced the Lightning port with USB-C. The Smart Connector allows for improved peripherals like the Magic Keyboard Folio, and the front-facing camera is finally in the right place for typical landscape-oriented video chats. Toss in a still-speedy A14 chip and healthy battery life and this is a fine tablet for everyday use. It might even replace a laptop in the right circumstances.

There are some foibles. The screen isn’t as sophisticated as that of the iPad Air, and the A14 rules out iPadOS 16’s Stage Manager. And you’ll want to spring for the Air if you’re the artistic sort — the new entry model only supports Apple’s first-generation Pencil (not included), and you’ll have to attach an adapter just to pair and charge the stylus. At a reduced price, though, the new iPad is both a better value for less demanding tasks and easier to justify versus last year’s cheaper variant.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

 

Going from zero to a fully outfitted smart home is a huge undertaking — and it can get expensive fast. While we don’t recommend grabbing every possible smart home device in one go, Black Friday makes smartening up areas of your home a lot easier on your wallet. 

Every year, the number of smart devices grows so we waded through the best deals on many of the products we’ve tried and recommend. Some of our favorite robot vacuums are seeing steep discounts, as is our favorite air fryer and an Echo smart display we found particularly useful. Covering just about every potential room in the home, here are the best robot vacuum and smart home Black Friday deals we could find.    

iRobot Roomba 694

The iRobot Roomba 694 is currently our favorite budget robot vacuum and is down to $180 for Black Friday. That’s 33 percent off for a $95 savings that’s close to an all-time low. We liked the way the 694 dependably cleaned both carpet and tile, and appreciated the excellent user interface on the app. Setup is straightforward, even for a robo vac newbie. It doesn’t come with extra brushes and the spot-clean function is only available as a button on the unit itself, but we still think it’s the best budget vac for most people. 

Buy iRobot Roomba 694 at Amazon – $179

Shark Ion RV765

The Shark Ion RV765 is the runner up in our guide to budget robo vacs and right now it’s down to $150, which is a super low price for any smart vacuum, especially one with a two-hour battery life. We particularly liked the adjustable wheels that automatically reacted to the “terrain” of carpet, rug, or hard floor, and the intuitive app for setting schedules and otherwise controlling the robot.  

Buy Shark Ion RV765 at Walmart – $150

Shark AV2511AE AI 

If you want a robot vacuum that empties itself, be prepared to pay more, unless you can grab a deal like this one. Normally $600, the Shark AV2511 AE AI robot vacuum is half price right now, bringing it down to $300. As a brand, Shark keeps reaching top spots in our robot vacuum guides thanks to their intuitive app and reliability of the robots themselves. This base here will hold nearly two months of dirt and the advanced navigation technology uses LIDAR to map your home and lasers to detect and avoid obstacles. You can even set no-go zones from within the app, as opposed to using boundary tape or other methods. 

Buy Shark AV2511AE at Amazon – $300

iRobot Roomba j7 

The iRobot Roomba j7 is also on sale, with a 42 percent discount, bringing it down to $250. It’s the runner up in our latest guide to the best robot vacuums thanks to its strong cleaning power and accurate home mapping. We liked how easy the app is to use and program and the bot was great at avoiding obstacles, including any robot vac’s archnemesis, pet poop.

Buy iRobot Roomba j7 at Amazon – $349

Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid

With a more than 50 percent discount, Eufy’s RoboVac X8 Hybrid is down to $320 off its usual $650 sticker. We gave the X8 a shout out in our robo vac guide for its great customization features, including a “tap and go” option that lets you direct the vac to a particular spot for extra on-demand cleaning. Surprisingly, many vacs lack that feature within their app. As a hybrid vac, the X8 can wet-wipe your floors as well as vacuum them, and comes with a fillable tank and swappable cleaning pads to enable the mopping function. If you don’t need your vac to mop, the vacuum-only Eufy RoboVac X8 is on sale for 40 percent off, making it just $300 instead of $500 right now.  

Buy Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid at Amazon – $320

Meater Plus  

The Meater Plus is the recommended thermometer in our grilling gear guide. For Black Friday, it’s down to $80 from its usual $100 price tag. While a wired version is certainly cheaper, we thought the price bump was worth not having to avoid the cables as you work with larger pieces of meat. It’s got a 165-foot Bluetooth range and the single probe has two sensors, with one end reading the internal temp of your meat and the exposed end monitoring the ambient temp of your cooking environment. Of course, as a smart home tool, the companion app controls, monitors and offers helpful guides. 

Buy Meater Plus at Amazon – $80

Instant Pot Duo

The Instant Pot Duo makes an excellent gift for just about anyone, but it’s also a great way to add some extra capacity to your kitchen for holiday cooking. Right now, it’s down to $79 for Black Friday, a 21 percent discount and a great buy, considering all it can do. It features seven functions in one unit, and can act as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté pan, yogurt maker and warmer. Customizable programs take the guesswork out of cooking common items, helping you out just like a smart appliance should.  

Buy Instant Pot Duo at Amazon – $79

Instant Vortex Plus  

If you somehow don’t already have one or are looking to give one of this year’s best gifts, here’s a great deal on the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer. Usually $170, it’s down to just $100 for Black Friday. We named it our favorite overall pick when we tested out many of the air fryers on the market today. We loved the ample size, intuitive controls and how easy it was to clean. Plus, there’s virtually no waiting for pre-heating. 

Buy Instant Vortex Plus at Amazon – $100

Echo Show 8

The Echo Show 8 earned a score of 87 when we reviewed it upon its debut and Amazon is knocking 46 percent off the standard $130 list price to make it just $70. We liked the beautiful touchscreen display and impressive sound quality for the size. It’s extra useful when it acts as a sort of command center for your connected smart home devices, with Alexa’s helpful AI guiding the way. Amazon’s new home screen has a better feel to it too, giving you a lot of info at a glance. The Echo Show 8 can even act as a smart cam to let you check in at home when you’re away.

Buy Echo Show 8 at Amazon – $70

Google Nest Hub 

If you’d rather rely on the Google Assistant for your smart display needs, the latest generation of the Google Nest Hub is half price, bringing it down to $50. The seven-inch screen is one inch smaller than the Echo Show 8, and the Google Hub doesn’t have an on-board camera, which some might prefer. As a smart display, it’ll happily act as a hub to control compatible smart home devices using just your voice.

Buy Google Nest Hub at B&H Photo – $50

Google Nest Audio

We called Google’s Nest Audio smart speaker “a steal at $100” when we reviewed it, giving it a score of 87. And now it’s half that price for Black Friday. For just $50, you get a smart speaker powered by the AI of the Google Assistant, plus a speaker that delivers surprisingly good sound quality for its size and price point. We did note that the Nest Audio sounds even better as a pair, and now might be a good time to grab two. 

Buy Google Nest Audio at B&H Photo – $50

Blink Mini camera

Adding a few smart cameras to your smart home setup lets you keep tabs on things when you’re gone (or even in another room) and can alert you when there’s unexpected movement. Blink Mini cameras are usually $35 each, but right now Amazon is selling two for less than the price of one. On the same product page, you’ll notice a one-camera configuration option, that’s $30, so this really is a case where it’s a better deal to get two. The Minis are motion-activated devices (as, in they aren’t always on)and have built-in speakers and a mic so you can hear and talk to people (or pets) remotely using your phone.

Buy Blink Mini camera 2-pack at Amazon – $30

Google Nest Cam

Again, if you prefer talking to Google’s Assistant over Amazon’s Alexa, the Google Nest Cam battery is your best bet for indoor and outdoor monitoring. While they usually go for $180, Black Friday takes $60 off that price to make them $120 each. Unlike the wired and indoor-only Blink Minis above, these run on batteries and are rated to handle the weather outside, but they’re quite a bit more expensive. They send high def 1080p video to your phone or smart display when they’re triggered and are smart enough to tell the difference between pets, cars and people. 

Buy Google Nest Cam at B&H Photo – $120

Google Nest Doorbell

To keep tabs on package deliveries and other interesting goings on at your front door, a video doorbell works great. Again, if you’re invested in Google’s ecosystem, you’ll want Google’s Nest Doorbell. The Google Nest Doorbell battery runs on a rechargeable battery and is $120 for Black Friday, after a 33 percent discount. The Google Nest Doorbell wired version uses your existing doorbell wire and is on sale for $169 against its usual $180 list price. 

Buy Google Nest Doorbell (battery) at Amazon – $120

Ring Video Doorbell

For an Amazon doorbell, you have two brand options, Blink and Ring. Right now the Ring Video Doorbell is 40 percent off, making it just $60. It records 1080p video after being triggered and sends alerts and feeds to your phone or other display (like a Fire TV or Echo Show). You don’t have to decide when you buy whether you want to wire it in or run it on the included battery, this unit is capable of both. 

Buy Ring Video Doorbell at Amazon – $60

Amazon Smart Plug

A smart plug means you’ll never have to come home to a dark room again. The Amazon Smart Plug is just $13 right now, instead of its usual $25. You can speak commands to Alexa to control whatever you plug in, like lamps, fans and holiday lights. Or you can also set up routines and schedules from within the Alexa app. It can even be used to start your coffee maker in the morning (as long as it has a mechanical switch), just remember to add your beans and water the night before. 

Buy Amazon Smart Plug at Amazon – $13

Philips Hue smartbulbs

Smart bulbs not only offer control using your phone, a voice assistant, or a smart display, many also come in a near-limitless number of colors. The Philips Hue smart bulb supply 16 million color options so so you can dial in whatever ambiance you’re in the mood for. These are usually $135 for the three-pack, but are down to $90 for the set right now. They’re compatible with both Alexa and the Google Assistant, and are rated to last over 20 years. 

Buy Philips Hue smart bulb (3-pack) at Amazon – $90

Amazon Smart Thermostat

Smart thermostats can help you save energy by making sure you’re not overly heating or cooling an empty house. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is $18 off for Black Friday, bringing the price down to $42. You can use the Alexa app to control the thermostat, sets schedules and more, but keep in mind the thermostat itself doesn’t have a mic, so it can’t take voice commands directly. 

Buy Amazon Smart Thermostat at Amazon – $42

Eero Pro 6E WiFi mesh router

To handle all of this smart home connectivity, you might be in the market for an upgraded WiFi router. The Eero Pro 6E supports WiFi 6E, which lets compatible devices access the newly opened up 6 GHz wireless band. it’s $120 off its usual $300 sticker price, which makes this a good time to upgrade to the latest and fastest WiFi iteration. One Eero router covers up to 2,000 square feet and can support more than 100 connected devices. 

Buy Eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router at Amazon – $180

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

 

Black Friday is great time to buy a new pair of earbuds, either for yourself or someone on your gift list. A number of Beats headphones are on sale for the biggest shopping day of the year, key among them being the Beats Fit Pro for $160. That’s not quite a record-low price, but it’s pretty close and representative of a 20 percent discount. If you’re set on getting a pair at the best price possible, the Beats Studio Buds are back on sale for a record-low price of $90.

The Beats Fit Pro earned a spot in our best wireless earbuds guide thanks to their comfortable fit, IPX4 rating and solid sound quality. Their IP-rating makes them a good pair for workouts, plus their “fit wing” tip should help them stay in place even during tough HIIT sessions. We also like that they have physical buttons for onboard controls, making it pretty easy to adjust the volume, skip tracks and more.

Sound quality is pretty good on these earbuds — it’s balanced and powerful, with the punchy bass you’d expect to get out of Beats buds. They also support Apple’s spatial audio, and the have the H1 chip inside which gives you many of the conveniences of AirPods. They’ll pair and switch seamlessly with other Apple devices, plus you’ll get hands-free Siri access and Find My location features, too. But they’re not solely for iPhones — there’s plenty of Android support here, making them a good buy for lots of people.

As for the Beats Studio Buds, we gave them a score of 84 for their balanced sound, tiny yet comfortable design and quick-pairing features for iOS and Android devices. We’d ultimately recommend the Beats Fit Pro to most people because they’re newer and have even better sound and features than the Studio Buds, but the latter are a good pick if you only have $100 or less to spend on a new pair of buds.

Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

 

The giant TVs and high-end laptops might get the lion’s share of attention on Black Friday, but the smaller tech devices are worth checking out too. We put the cap at $50 and came up with over 20 deals on inexpensive gadgets along with a few peripherals and accessories you’ll need for this year’s higher-end buys. Some gadgets are going for all-time lows, like the new Echo Dot. Others, like the Google Nest Mini and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K are half off their usual price. We added a few storage cards that are seeing big price cuts too, since you can never have too many of those. For less than $50, there’s a lot of great tech out there, and here are the best Black Friday deals we could find.    

Amazon Echo Dot 

When Amazon’s Echo Dot first unveiled its new spherical shape in 2020, we tried it out and thought it was a well-rounded speaker in all senses of the word, awarding it a score of 88. Right now it 50 percent off, putting Amazon’s smallest smart speaker down to just $25, which is the lowest it’s gone since its release. The speaker has the full power of Alexa behind it, letting you control your music, lights, thermostats and more with your voice. The Echo Dot even acts as a WiFi extender, adding up to 1,000 square feet of extra coverage, if you use the brand’s Eero WiFi routers. 

Buy Echo Dot at Amazon – $25

Google Nest Mini

If you prefer dealing with the Google Assistant over Alexa, the Google Nest Mini is a good way to go. Right now the smart speakers are just $20 each, which is nearly 60 percent off the usual $49 price tag. Like the Echo Dot, the Nest Mini is a small, round and unobtrusive device that pumps out music and podcasts on demand from a slew of apps (Apple Music, YouTube Music and Spotify among them). You can use it to control other members of your smart home domain, like your Chromecast TV or your Nest Thermostat, and it does a good job pairing up with third party smart home devices too, such as lightbulbs and alarms. 

Buy Google Nest Mini at B&H Photo – $20

SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD

Usually $49, Black Friday brings the price of a SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD down to just $22, which is a steep 55 percent off and the lowest we’ve ever seen it. If you need a little more storage for your photos, videos and files and more, this gives you room for hours of full HD video and transfer speeds of up to 120MBps.

Buy SanDisk 256GB Ultra microSD at Amazon – $22

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K 

To turn just about any screen with an HDMI port into a smart TV, you have options. One of them is Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K, which is half price for Black Friday. For just $25, the dongle will stream 4K images to your 4K TV or monitor, while the remote lets you ask for Alexa’s help in finding what to watch. The Fire TV interface is straightforward and is compatible with every streaming service out there. 

Buy Fire TV Stick 4K at Amazon – $25

Amazon Fire TV Stick Max

If you’ve got a 4K screen and you’ve already upgraded to WiFi 6, you’ll likely want the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Its down to $35 from its usual $55 price tag, which matches its price during Prime Day in October. In addition to delivering super high def images, it’s also designed to work with the latest WiFi network protocol. If you’re getting it as a gift and aren’t sure if your giftee has WiFi 6, it’ll still work with earlier versions as well. It does everything the other Fire TV sticks do, including turning your TV into a screen for displaying feeds from other Alexa devices like doorbells and cameras.  

Buy Fire TV Stick 4K Max at Amazon – $35

Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite

For anyone who doesn’t need 4K resolution or WiFi 6 support, the Fire TV Stick Lite is a notably cheap way to convert a screen into a smart TV. It’s just $15 for Black Friday, down from its usual $30. Just keep in mind, while the bargain version of the Fire TV Stick does offer Alexa’s voice assistance, it can’t control the power or volume functions for your set. If you plan on using your TV’s original remote, then that limitation probably isn’t a concern.  

Buy Fire TV Stick Lite at Amazon – $15

Blink Video Doorbell

Amazon acquired the home monitoring camera company Blink back in 2017 and added its first doorbell just last year. The Blink Video Doorbell is the least expensive doorbell in Amazon’s lineup, and right now is down to $35 from its usual price of $50. You can use it wired to your existing doorbell wiring or run the unit on two AA batteries. Your first set of batteries is included and can last up to two years. The unit wakes up with a doorbell press or when it detects motion, enabling two-way talk. Wiring the unit allows it to activate your built-in doorbell chime. On batteries, you’ll get alerts when someone rings via the Blink app.  

Buy Blink Video Doorbell at Amazon – $35

Amazon Fire 7 tablet

Already among the cheapest tablets on the market, the Amazon Fire 7 tablet is down to $40 with a 33 percent discount off of its $50 MSRP. While it’s not going to handle intense multitasking or become your go-to productivity slab, it’ll handle casual couch surfing, e-books and streaming your shows. This is the 2022 version of the 7-inch screen, which improves the battery life over the previous model, giving you up to 10 hours of use on a charge. 

Buy Fire 7 tablet at Amazon – $40

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Right now the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is half price. At just $25, it matches the price of Amazon’s 4K stick, and it’s our current favorite streaming device. With the Roku stick, voice control is handled by your choice of Siri, the Google Assistant or Alexa, and the Roku interface is straightforward with the widest selection of streaming options. We’re also fond of the Roku app, which allows for private listening, which means you can watch a show on the big screen, but have the audio come through your smartphone-connected headphones. The universal search function is also accurate and refreshingly impartial, not prioritizing any one streaming service when you search for shows and movies. 

Buy Roku Streaming Stick 4K at Amazon – $25

Amazon Echo Show 5

Imagine your bedside alarm clock and a smart display combined forces. That’s the idea behind Amazon’s Echo Show 5. It usually goes for $85, but right now it’s been cut by a substantial 59 percent to make it just $35. As the smallest of Amazon’s smart displays, it’ll fit nicely into small spaces, like small kitchens or a bedside table. And if you’re concerned with the potential creep factor of bringing a camera into the bedroom, there’s a physical camera shutter built-in. We gave the Echo Show 5 a score of 85 in our review, impressed with the quality of sound for its compact size. 

Buy Echo Show 5 at Amazon – $35

Blink Mini security camera

The Blink Mini security cameras usually retail for $35 each, but the Black Friday sale brings the price of two cameras down to $30. It’s a great time to snag one of these sleek in-home cams for every corner of the house, especially if you’re planning on adding an Echo Show (like the one above) to your smart home landscape. The Blink cameras plug in so you never have to swap the batteries, they offer night vision capabilities and two-way audio. 

Buy Blink Mini at Amazon (2-pack) – $30

Anker 511 power bank

Having the ability to recharge a dead phone when you’re far from an outlet feels priceless, but Black Friday puts that price at $25 for Anker’s 511 Power Bank. The compact rectangular prism shape has a retractable plug and short strap to make it easy to store and retrieve from a pack. It’s a 5,000 milliampere hour battery, which should give most modern smartphones one extra charge. Note that it doesn’t come with a cable. You’ll need to supply one with two USB-C connectors or a USB-C-to-lightning cable, depending on the model of your phone. Also, this price on Amazon is only for Prime members, but it’s too great a deal not to mention. 

Buy Anker 511 Power Bank at Amazon – $25

Anker 511 charger

Not all chargers are created equal. Since Apple stopped shipping chargers with their phones, some people learn this when they notice their phones charging unusually slow with lower-power plug. The Anker 511 charger is a 20-watt charger that can deliver full-speed charging to a smartphone and are specifically designed to work with Apple devices. Right now it’s on sale for just $13. Anker’s tests showed late-model iPhones going from zero to 50 percent in 25 minutes. It’s got a USB-C port, for which you’ll need to supply your own charging cable.  

Buy Anker 511 Charger at Amazon – $13

Logitech G435 gaming headset

Logitech’s G435 gaming headset typically goes for $80, but Black Friday brings it below the $50 threshold at $49.88. They connect via Bluetooth or with the USB-A dongle for a lower-latency wireless connection. The built-in mics allow for in-game chat and post-game Discord discussions. They’ll pair up with a PC and both PlayStation 4 and 5 using the wireless dongle, or via Bluetooth with PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch. You can pair them with your phone too, but keep in mind these don’t have active noise cancellation. 

Buy Logitech G435 gaming headset at Amazon – $49.88

Jabra Elite 3 earbuds

We were impressed with the Jabra Elite 3 earbuds at their list $80 list price, giving them an 88 in our review. Now that they’ve just dipped below $50, it’s a good day to get a pair. We called them the “new standard for affordable wireless earbuds” because they offer detailed and balanced sound with a booming low end. We got right around the estimated seven-hour battery life and liked Jabra’s comfortable new design for the Elite 3 buds. We think they’re an incredible value for the price, especially right now.    

Buy Jabra Elite 3 earbuds at Amazon – $49.99

Chromecast with Google TV

Like the Fire TV and Roku sticks above, the Chromecast with Google TV HD turns a “dumb” TV into a smart one, and right now it’s just $20 for Black Friday. When the latest HD model came out this October, we tested it out and liked the straightforward setup and easy interface. Unlike the Fire TV Lite, the Chromecast remote can be programmed to handle TV functions like volume and power. If you’ve got a 4K TV, the Chromecast with Google TV 4K dongle is on sale for $40, down from $50. We reviewed it when it first came out and gave it a score of 86, particularly impressed with the Google Assistant integration. 

Buy Chromecast with Google TV HD at B&H Photo – $20Buy Chromecast with Google TV 4K at Amazon – $40

JBL Clip 4

Usually retailing for $80, the JBL Clip 4 is just $45 right now. The Clip 4 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that can handle life away from the relative safety of home. It’s rated IP67, which means it’s dust-tight and can handle full, but temporary, submersion in water. Delivering 10 hours of playtime on a charge, there’s even a carabiner to clip it to whatever’s at hand for outdoor listening. 

Buy JBL Clip 4 at JBL – $45

Amazon Smart Thermostat

Amazon continues to expand their smart home offerings, anchored by Alexa’s increasingly sophisticated AI. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is already one of the more affordable smart thermostats out there with a usual list price of $60. Right now it’s $42 for Black Friday. This model doesn’t come with a C-wire adapter, so you’ll want to check the pop-up compatibility window on the product page to make sure your system will work with the device. If it does, you’ll get an app-controlled thermostat that can potentially save on energy usage. 

Buy Amazon Smart Thermostat at Amazon – $42

Razer Kishi mobile controller

Razer’s Kishi mobile controller turns your smartphone into a Switch-like gaming device. It’s usually $100, but Black Friday is knocking 55 percent off the list price, bringing the sticker to $41.50 for the Android version and $45 for the iPhone version. It connects via your phone’s charging port, as opposed to via Bluetooth, so there’s no wireless latency. Note that this is the original version of the device, not the recently released V2. That version isn’t budging from its $99 MSRP, even for Black Friday.  

Buy Razer Kishi mobile controller at Amazon – $41.50

Razer Orochi gaming mouse

The Razer Orochi gaming mouse has an MSRP of $70, but Black Friday is knocking that down by half. This mobile mouse made the cut in our search for the ultimate productivity mouse. Even though we called it the most “forgettable-looking option,” we were impressed by how lightweight and capable it is. It connects via Bluetooth or wireless dongle and runs on ether an AA or AAA battery, with up to 950 hours on a battery. 

Buy Razer Orochi gaming mouse at Amazon – $35

Tile Pro tracker

The Tile Pro tracker usually goes for $35, but is down to $28 right now. The BlueTooth tracker has a convenient lanyard hole making it ideal for a set of keys, but you can also attach it to a pack or luggage. Regardless of what item you attach it to, the Tile app makes sure that item never goes missing. Using Bluetooth when it’s within 400 feet, you can make the Tile Pro ring to find things that way. When an item is farther away, the Tile app uses the Tile network to locate the item by anonymously pinging the phones of other Tile users. 

Buy Tile Pro tracker at Amazon – $28

Kasa smart video doorbell 

If you want a doorbell that works with either Alexa or the Google Assistant, the Kasa Smart Video Doorbell is on sale for just $42, down from its usual $60. In addition to offering app-controllable two-way audio and 1296p video from the 3MP camera, the Kasa doorbell comes with a plug-in chime to let you know when someone rings your bell. This model doesn’t have a battery option, so it’ll only work by hooking up to your existing doorbell wire. 

Buy Kasa Smart Video Doorbell at Amazon – $42

 

Samsung EVO Select MicroSD card

This Samsung microSD card is also on sale, with a 38 percent discount on the 256GB size bringing it down to just $25. It offers transfer speeds of up to 130MBps and even includes a SD adapter so you can use it with more of your devices. 

Buy Samsung EVO Select MicroSD card at Amazon – $25

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.

 

It’s Black Friday, and that means lots of laptops have gone on sale with little indication as to which are actually worth your time. As always, we recommend shopping directly at retailers like Microsoft, Samsung, Dell and others if you want to spec out your next machine. But if you’re willing to get a pre-configured device, there are plenty of great laptop deals to be had for Black Friday. To help you sort through the noise, we’ve highlighted a few deals on laptops we like at prices that are genuinely lower than normal. Here are the best Black Friday laptop deals we’ve been able to find thus far.

Apple MacBook Air M2

Apple’s latest and greatest MacBook Air is back down to $1,049 at multiple retailers, which matches the lowest price we’ve tracked. This is $150 off Apple’s MSRP and about $55 off the notebook’s typical going rate online in recent months. 

The M2 MacBook Air is the top pick in our guide to the best laptops, and we gave it a review score of 96 earlier this year due to its revamped design, powerful M2 chip, vibrant 13.6-inch display and long battery life, among other perks. Note that the entry-level configuration here does have slower storage performance than the higher-priced SKUs, but if you aren’t looking to do more involved work like editing high-resolution media, that shouldn’t be a significant hindrance in day-to-day use.

Buy MacBook Air M2 at Amazon – $1,049Buy MacBook Air M2 at B&H – $1,049

Apple MacBook Air M1

If you want a more affordable way into macOS, the 2020 MacBook Air with Apple’s M1 SoC is on sale for $799 at Amazon and Best Buy. We’ve seen this deal a handful of times in recent months, but it still ties the best price we’ve seen and comes in about $90 below this entry-level config’s usual going rate. 

We gave the M1 Air a review score of 94 back in 2020. To be clear, paying up for the M2 model will get you thinner bezels, fuller speakers, a better webcam, faster charging and slightly faster raw performance. But the M1 chip is still far from slow for everyday tasks, and the older design still gets you a comfortable keyboard and trackpad, an accurate display and more than enough battery to last a full work day. At this price, it remains an excellent value.

Buy MacBook Air M1 at Amazon – $799

Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook is on sale for $270 at Amazon, which is a new all-time low and roughly $120 below this 13.3-inch notebook’s typical street price in recent months. We recently named the Flex 5i the top pick in our guide to the best Chromebooks. The Core i3-1115G4 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD included in this config offers more than enough performance for Chrome OS, and in general the device’s backlit keyboard, bright 1080p touchscreen, mix of USB-C and USB-A ports and eight-hour battery life impress for the price. 

Buy Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5i Chromebook at Amazon – $270

Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Go 2 is back down to $600 for a configuration with a Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. That’s $100 off Microsoft’s MSRP, about $50 off the usual street price and tied for the best price we’ve tracked. We gave this 12.4-inch notebook a review score of 86 earlier this year, and we’ve since included it in our guide to the best cheap Windows laptops. You can get a sharper display and more performance from other laptops in this price range, and the lack of keyboard backlighting is a bummer, but the lightweight build has a more premium feel than most notebooks in this price range, and the notebook itself is still fast and long-lasting for casual work on the go. 

Buy Surface Laptop Go 2 at Amazon – $600Buy Surface Laptop Go 2 at Microsoft – $600

Razer Blade 14

A configuration of Razer’s Blade 14 with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX chip, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and an RTX 3080 GPU is currently down to $2,000 at Amazon. That’s about $300 off its typical street price and tied for the best price we’ve tracked. We gave the Blade 14 a review score of 84 last year, and we’ve recommended the similar Blade 15 in recent buying guides and gift guides. It can run a bit hot, and you can still get similarly powerful gaming laptops for less, but it still puts enough power to play demanding games at higher settings in a slim and slick-feeling design that weighs less than four pounds.

Buy Razer Blade 14 at Amazon – $2,000

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5

The 8GB RAM/512GB SSD version of Microsoft’s 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 5 is now on sale for $1,000, which is $300 off Microsoft’s MSRP and tied for the best price we’ve seen. We gave this one a review score of 83 earlier this year, praising its elegant chassis, bright 3:2 display, Thunderbolt 4 port and competent performance. The 720p webcam is passable at best, and there are definitely more performant laptops for the money, but if you’re partial to the Surface design language, it’s still a step up from the Surface Laptop Go 2 above. A configuration with 256GB of storage was briefly available for $700 earlier this week, but that’s now priced at $900.

Buy Surface Laptop 5 at Amazon – $1,000Buy Surface Laptop 5 at Microsoft – $1,000

HP Spectre x360 13.5-inch

A variant of HP’s 13.5-inch Spectre x360 with a Core i5-1235U processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD is currently available for $862 at HP’s online store, which is about $300 off its usual going rate and one of the better prices we’ve tracked. Just note that you’ll have to manually configure the RAM and SSD and use the coupon code STOCKING5 before checkout. This isn’t a formal pick of ours in any guides, but it’s a fine 2-in-1 option with a thin and light design, comfortable keyboard and trackpad and strong battery life. It does come with a good chunk of bloatware, though, and the 1920×1280 IPS display in this config could stand to be sharper and brighter.

Buy HP Spectre x360 13.5-inch at HP – $862

Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro

A configuration of Samsung’s 13.3-inch Galaxy Book 2 Pro with a Core i5-1240P CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is down to $750, which is another all-time low and $200 off the device’s typical street price. While not a top pick of ours, this is a decent alternative if you’re looking for a vibrant OLED panel and a particularly thin and light design. Its keyboard isn’t the best, though, and the display’s 16:9 aspect ratio isn’t as convenient for work and web browsing as a 3:2 panel. If you want a similar model in a 2-in-1 design, Samsung’s Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 is available for the same price with twice the RAM and storage — though that model has a lower-quality 720p webcam.

Buy Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro at Amazon – $750Buy Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro at B&H – $750

Your Cyber Week Shopping Guide: Get the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter. Also, shop the top Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals on Yahoo Life. Learn about Black Friday trends on In the Know, and our car experts at Autoblog are covering must-shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday auto deals.