The best Black Friday SSD deals from Samsung, WD, Crucial and others

While Black Friday itself may be a week away, many retailers have already kicked off their official holiday sales. That means it’s a better time than usual to be in the market for new storage gear. If you have a PC, tablet, gaming handheld or any other device in need of a boost, we’ve rounded up the best Black Friday SSD and storage deals we could find below.

Before you dive in, keep in mind that storage prices have generally trended upwards in the past year, so many of the discounts below aren’t quite all-time lows. Still, some are, and each is at least the best price we’ve seen in several months. We’ll update this post as prices change and more discounts pop up over the next week.

WD Black SN850X (2TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD for $125 at Amazon ($65 off): The speedy WD Black SN850X is the top PCIe 4.0 drive in our guide to the best SSDs, so it’s a fine “default” choice for gaming or general use. This is far from the 2TB model’s best-ever price, but it’s the largest discount we’ve seen in 2024. Also at Newegg. If you’re buying for a PS5, a version with a heatsink is on sale for $9 more. And if you need (tons) more space, the 8TB variant is down to a new low of $550.

Crucial T705 (1TB) PCIe 5.0 SSD with heatsink for $130 at Amazon ($136 off): Most people don’t need to pay extra for a superfast PCIe 5.0 drive like the T705, but if you want the absolute best — and you have a compatible motherboard — its raw performance is almost unmatched. This is the lowest price we’ve tracked for the 1TB model with a heatsink. Also at B&H. If you already have a compatible heatsink, the standard version is available for $10 less, which is another all-time low.

Crucial P3 (2TB) PCIe 3.0 SSD for $105 at Amazon ($50 off): If you’re looking to upgrade an older system, the Crucial P3 is the PCIe 3.0 pick in our SSD buying guide. This deal is well off the 2TB version’s all-time low — it sat in the $75 range this time last year — but it’s the best price we could find since February. Also at B&H, Best Buy and others.

The Crucial X9 Pro.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Crucial X9 Pro (1TB) portable SSD for $80 at Amazon ($21 off): The Crucial X9 Pro is our pick for the best portable SSD, offering dependable performance for most everyday tasks in a rugged and compact design. The 1TB version fell as low as $60 last year, but this is the largest discount we’ve seen in 2024. It’s a similar situation for the 2TB model, which is down to $120. Also at Crucial, B&H and Best Buy.

Kingston XS1000 (1TB) portable SSD for $64 at Amazon ($21 off): The Kingston XS1000 is the runner up in our portable SSD guide. It performs similarly to the X9 Pro across the board, but it’s not water-resistant, it doesn’t come with a USB-C to USB-C cable and it gets a little toastier with extended use. Still, it’s a great value. This deal comes within a dollar of the 1TB model’s all-time low. Also at Kingston. If you need something roomier, the 2TB version is about $18 off its usual street price at $102.

Crucial X10 Pro (1TB) portable SSD for $91 at Amazon ($59 off): The X10 Pro is essentially a faster version of our favorite portable SSD, though you’ll only see the difference if you have a device that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 speeds. This deal beats the 1TB drive’s previous low by a buck. Also at Crucial, B&H and Best Buy.

Samsung Fit Plus (256GB) USB flash drive for $19 at Amazon ($6 off): The ultracompact Fit Plus is the thumb drive we recommend in our SSD buying guide. It’s not crazy fast, but it’ll do the job for the basics, and it’s small enough to fit on a keychain. While not an all-time low, this modest discount brings the 256GB variant down to its lowest price since January. Also at B&H.

The Kingston Canvas Go Plus.

Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget

Kingston Canvas Go Plus (128GB) microSD card for $11 at B&H ($6 off): We call the Canvas Go Plus a strong choice in our guide to the best microSD cards. Its sequential write speeds aren’t the best, so it’s not great for recording video or downloading lots of media, but it’s close enough to our top pick otherwise. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for the 128GB version.

Samsung Evo Select (2024) (256GB) microSD card for $18 at Amazon ($4 off): The Evo Select is our favorite microSD card in the budget bracket. Its mediocre write speeds make it less-than-ideal in a camera, but it should yield few complaints for most people just looking to add space to a Nintendo Switch or Fire tablet on the cheap. We’ve seen the last-gen version of the card sell for less, but this is a new low for the “new generation” 256GB model, which brings the sequential reads more in line with the higher-tier Samsung Pro Plus. Also at B&H and Samsung.

Lexar Professional 1066x (1TB) microSD card for $70 at Amazon ($19 off): It’s not a formal pick in our guide, but the Lexar Professional 1066x is a perfectly serviceable card for most storage needs that’s worth considering when it’s on sale. This is a new low for the 1TB variant.

SanDisk Ultra (1.5TB) microSD card for $89 at Amazon ($21 off): The Ultra is slower than the cards we recommend in our buying guide, particularly when it comes to write speeds, so you won’t want to stress it too hard with large file transfers. But if you don’t really care about raw performance and want a huge chunk of space for as little cash as possible, it should be fine enough. This deal comes within a couple bucks of the 1.5TB model’s lowest-ever price. Also at SanDisk and B&H.

The WD Black C50.

WD

Crucial P310 (1TB) M.2 2230 SSD for $70 at Amazon ($102 off): The P310 is a small-size SSD you can slot into compact devices like the Steam Deck or Microsoft’s Surface notebooks. It uses cheaper QLC memory, not the faster and more durable TLC, but other reviews suggest that it still performs well for what it is. This is a new low for the 1TB model. The 2TB version is down to its best price yet at $140 as well. Also at Crucial and B&H.

WD Black C50 Expansion Card for Xbox (1TB) for $99 at Amazon ($59 off): It’s aggravating, but the only way to fully increase the storage of an Xbox Series X/S is to use a proprietary expansion card. Only two of those currently exist, but the C50 is one, and this discount drops the 1TB model to a new low. It’s normally sold for roughly $40 more in recent months. Is this still expensive compared to many SSDs with the same capacity? Sure. But any extra savings should be welcome. Also at Best Buy. A 512GB model is a couple bucks above its all-time low at $68 as well.

Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X/S (2TB) for $200 at Amazon ($160 off): Seagate makes the other official storage expansion card for the Xbox Series X/S. This discount isn’t the best we’ve ever seen, and it’s been live for most of the month, but it’s still about $30 to $50 below the 2TB model’s typical street price. There’s little performance difference between this and the C50, so which is best merely comes down to how much space you need and whatever one costs less.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-best-black-friday-ssd-deals-from-samsung-wd-crucial-and-others-173947658.html?src=rss 

‘Gladiator 2’: Release Date, Cast & More Details on the Sequel Movie

Prepare to be thoroughly entertained. ‘Gladiator II’ has assembled a stellar cast, including Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Denzel Washington. Here are all the latest updates on the Gladiator sequel.

Prepare to be thoroughly entertained. ‘Gladiator II’ has assembled a stellar cast, including Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, and Denzel Washington. Here are all the latest updates on the Gladiator sequel. 

Plex is overhauling its apps with a redesign and under-the-hood upgrades

Plex is getting a major rework, which includes a redesign with improved navigation and more prominent artwork. The streaming service has been working on the overhaul for almost two years. The team rewrote the apps from scratch to unify the codebase and make the Plex experience more consistent, streamlined and easier to update across platforms. Plex says this has vastly improved its development speed, so it should be able to deliver new features more efficiently.

Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice is a bigger emphasis on artwork, particularly on show and movie detail pages, your personal profile and profile pages for cast and crew. You should see more title artwork for films and shows too.

Helping people navigate the app is one of the main drivers behind the overhaul. Plex says that the rework helps existing users move around the app more intuitively, while making things easier for newcomers to get to grips with. Those who use Plex to access personal media will find that their libraries are in a dedicated tab, while the Watchlist will take up prime real estate in the top navigation section. Plex says it also streamlined the user menu for quick access to things like your profile, friends and watch history.

Plex

The redesign seems long overdue. Plex looks a bit dated at the minute, especially when you hold it up against the likes of the Netflix app. Any navigation upgrades will be very welcome. Here’s hoping download speeds have been improved as well — as it stands, it takes me far too long to snag anything from Plex for offline viewing

To help make sure everything works as smoothly as intended across a wide range of devices and setups, Plex is offering users the chance to check out a preview of the overhauled apps in the hope that they’ll provide feedback. It notes that some features are missing (such as casting and offline support) for the time being, but it will update the apps frequently to add more.

You can try out the new look on mobile starting today, though there are a limited number of preview spots on iOS. Plex plans to offer early access to the revamped TV experience very soon too, ahead of a broader rollout coming in early 2025. To check out the updated mobile experience now, head on over to the Plex forums for more details.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/plex-is-overhauling-its-apps-with-a-redesign-and-under-the-hood-upgrades-160521751.html?src=rss 

Hyundai recalls over 145,000 EVs in the US

Hyundai is recalling around 145,235 electric vehicles in the US, according to a report by Reuters. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the recall was due to a loss of drive power. The safety regulator noted that integrated charging control units on these models are easily damaged, leading to an internal battery that won’t charge.

The recall includes a whole bunch of models, including certain Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 EVs, in addition to some Genesis GV70 and Genesis G80 luxury EVs from the model years 2022 to 2025. Click here for a full list of the impacted vehicles.

Hyundai says its dealers will inspect any vehicle that could have been impacted by the issue for free. These dealers will also replace the aforementioned parts and update the software at no charge.

The company’s sub-brand Kia was also impacted, adding another 62,000 EVs into the recall mix. Certain Kia EV6 models from the model years 2022 to 2024 are being recalled, and for the same reason of a potentially faulty integrated charging control unit. Just like Hyundai, Kia dealers will inspect and repair the issue for free.

Vehicle recalls happen quite regularly. In the past couple of months, we’ve seen Porsche recall over 27,000 Taycan EVs and Jeep recall 194,000 hybrids. Of course, Tesla products get recalled all of the time. That’s just part of the charm.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/hyundai-recalls-over-145000-evs-in-the-us-161651760.html?src=rss 

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024: Date, Time, & How to Watch

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, bringing with it food, football, and the iconic parade. Find out when the Macy’s tradition will hit the streets, along with more details here.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, bringing with it food, football, and the iconic parade. Find out when the Macy’s tradition will hit the streets, along with more details here. 

‘Wicked Part 2’: When Does the Movie Come Out?

‘Wicked’ Part 1 has officially hit theaters, and with its famously lengthy storyline, fans might wonder if there’s a Part Two of the Broadway-inspired musical. Keep reading to find out when the second part of the film will be released.

‘Wicked’ Part 1 has officially hit theaters, and with its famously lengthy storyline, fans might wonder if there’s a Part Two of the Broadway-inspired musical. Keep reading to find out when the second part of the film will be released. 

Snap calls New Mexico’s child safety complaint a ‘sensationalist lawsuit’

Snap has accused New Mexico’s attorney general of intentionally looking for adult users seeking sexually explicit content in order to make its app seem unsafe in a filing asking the court to dismiss the state’s lawsuit. In the document shared by The Verge, the company questioned the veracity of the state’s allegations. The attorney general’s office said that while it was using a decoy account supposed to be owned by a 14-year-old girl, it was added by a user named Enzo (Nud15Ans). From that connection, the app allegedly suggested over 91 users, including adults looking for sexual content. Snap said in its motion to dismiss, however, that those “allegations are patently false.”

It was the decoy account that searched for and added Enzo, the company wrote. The attorney general’s operatives were also the ones who looked for and added accounts with questionable usernames, such as “nudenude_22” and “xxx_tradehot.” In addition, Snap is accusing the office of “repeatedly [mischaracterizing]” its internal documents. The office apparently cited a document when it mentioned in its lawsuit that the company “consciously decided not to store child sex abuse images” and when it suggested that it doesn’t report and provide those images to law enforcement. Snap denied that it was the case and clarified that it’s not allowed to store child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) on its servers. It also said that it turns over such materials to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The New Mexico Department of Justice’s director of communications was not impressed with the company’s arguments. In a statement sent to The Verge, Lauren Rodriguez accused Snap of focusing on the minor details of the investigation in an “attempt to distract from the serious issues raised in the State’s case.” Rodriguez also said that “Snap continues to put profits over protecting children” instead of “addressing… critical issues with real change to their algorithms and design features.”

New Mexico came to the conclusion that Snapchat’s features “foster the sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and facilitate child sexual exploitation” after a months-long investigation. It reported that it found a “vast network of dark web sites dedicated to sharing stolen, non-consensual sexual images from Snap” and that Snapchat was “by far” the biggest source of images and videos on the dark web sites that it had seen. The attorney general’s office called Snapchat “a breeding ground for predators to collect sexually explicit images of children and to find, groom and extort them.” Snap employees encounter 10,000 sextortion cases each month, the office’s lawsuit said, but the company allegedly doesn’t warn users so as not to “strike fear” among them. The complaint accused Snap’s upper management of ignoring former trust and safety employees who’d pushed for additional safety mechanisms, as well.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/snap-calls-new-mexicos-child-safety-complaint-a-sensationalist-lawsuit-140034898.html?src=rss 

Does ‘Wicked’ Have an After-Credits Scene? Behind the Post-Credits Rumors

Before the film premiered, fans were curious whether ‘Wicked Part One’ included a post-credits scene. Find out if there is while we wait another year for ‘Wicked Part Two.’

Before the film premiered, fans were curious whether ‘Wicked Part One’ included a post-credits scene. Find out if there is while we wait another year for ‘Wicked Part Two.’ 

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