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Samsung is making a bigger push into healthcare. It is buying Xealth, a platform focused on digital health tools and care programs. Terms of the deal, such as the purchase price, haven’t been disclosed. Samsung expects the acquisition to be wrapped up by the end of the calendar year, pending closing conditions (such as any necessary regulatory approvals).

Samsung says the deal will help to advance its “transformation into a connected care platform that bridges wellness and medical care bringing a seamless and holistic approach to preventative care to as many people as possible.” That involves creating “synergy” between its wearable tech and Xealth’s platform by bringing together health data measured on its devices and clinical records at hospitals. Samsung says the integration can “create a link between home health monitoring and clinical decision-making through enhancements to Xealth’s platform, with the provider-patient relationship at the center of that effort.”

Xealth enables doctors to monitor and schedule care for patients at scale. More than 500 hospitals in the US and 70-plus “digital health solution partners” use Xealth, which spun out of the Providence health system. All of those will be able to access Samsung’s platform.

News of the Xealth acquisition comes just a couple of weeks after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr spoke of his desire to have every American sporting a wearable within the next four years, a vision that led to raised eyebrows from critics. While Samsung may be sniffing an opportunity there, its acquisition of Xealth may have been in the works for some time. In any case, it’s clear that Samsung is looking to diversify beyond its core businesses.

What’s more, Samsung announced the Xealth deal on the same day it projected a 56 percent drop in operating profit for the second quarter (compared with the same April-June period in 2024). This is, in large part, because of poor sales of its AI chips.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/samsung-buys-xealth-to-integrate-its-wearables-into-the-healthcare-system-120502530.html?src=rss 

Now that the world is saturated with big screens, phone makers are turning again to thinness to stand out from the pack. Samsung introduced its take on an ultra-thin phone, the Galaxy S25 Edge, in May and for Prime Day, you can get it for $800, $300 off its usual $1,100 starting price.

The Galaxy S25 Edge includes the best of Samsung’s Galaxy S25+ in a thinner and sturdier package. The S25 Edge is just 0.23 inches (5..8mm) thick, with a titanium frame, IP68 water and dust resistance and a Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 panel covering its OLED screen. The phone is also fast and performant, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. Really, the main ways the S25 Edge is a compromise are in the omissions Samsung made to keep it slim and light.

For example, the S25 Edge doesn’t have a telephoto lens, so zoomed in photographs have to happen entirely digitally. The phone also has a noticeably smaller battery at 3,900 mAh, which in our tests meant the phone lasted for a little over 25 hours on a single charge, shorter than both the base S25 and the S25 Ultra. Samsung also cut corners with wireless charging. The S25 Edge is “Qi2 ready” but doesn’t actually include the magnetic coils necessary to take advantage of the charging standard’s main features. Instead, if you want to wirelessly charge the S25 Edge at Qi2 speeds, you need to put it in a case, taking away some of its thinness in the process.

For $300 off, those compromises could be very easy to set aside, though. In Engadget’s review of the Galaxy S25 Edge, the phone made the most sense as a way to make Samsung’s mid-tier phones interesting. It costs the same $1,100 as the Samsung Galaxy S25+ and features many of the same components, but looks and feels different to use. At $800, the Galaxy S25 Edge is now the same price as the base S25 was at launch, and an even more compelling purchase.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/you-can-get-300-off-the-samsung-galaxy-s25-edge-for-prime-day-104557419.html?src=rss 

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is on sale for just $160 as part of the Amazon Prime Day celebration. This is a discount of 46 percent and represents a record-low price for the smartwatch.

This is the company’s latest watch and was released back in February, so it’s nice to see a massive discount this early in the release cycle. We appreciated the Galaxy Watch 7 in our official review, calling it a “capable companion for Samsung phones.” It features an old-school design that recalls classic timepieces and not modern smart devices.

The performance is zippy, thanks to an upgraded processor, and the storage has doubled when compared to its predecessor. There are also many more sensors when measured against the Galaxy Watch 6. For instance, there are now 13 heart rate sensor LEDs. This leads to the ability to assess more complex health metrics, like sleep apnea detection. All of this is data viewable via the fun and intuitive Samsung Health app.

We also appreciated that this watch will automatically track workouts when you start, without asking if you’re exercising like with the Apple Watch. There are even some AI-assisted tools here that offer light coaching as you workout or engage in physical activities.

There are a couple of little quirks here. First of all, this watch is primarily for those already tied into Samsung’s ecosystem. If you use an iPhone, this might not be the best match. Also, the always-on display is a notorious battery hog. Still, this is a lot of smartwatch for the money.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-samsung-galaxy-watch-7-drops-to-a-record-low-price-for-prime-day-110001063.html?src=rss 

The latest Amazon Kindle is on sale for $85 as part of a Prime Day promotion. This is a discount of $25 and represents a record-low price for the ereader. This is the model that was released in 2024 and the sale includes both colorways.

The iconic Kindle easily found a spot on our list of the best ereaders. The entry-level device is not filled with modern bells and whistles, but it gets the job done. It’s light and compact, which makes it easy to pack or stow away in a bag, and the battery lasts around six full weeks before requiring a recharge. The 16GB capacity is enough for thousands of books.

It also allows access to Kindle Unlimited, which is sort of like Netflix for books. This platform offers the widest selection of any subscription-based reading service, though results will vary depending on the genre.

The Kindle is also a good choice for people who like to switch between ebooks and audiobooks. The Whispersync feature keeps everything lined up, so readers can hop back and forth at will. This does require the purchase of both formats, but there’s typically a discount.

This model does include a backlight, but we found the light to be on the harsher side when compared to some rival ereaders. It’s still easier on the eyes than a phone or tablet screen. Like many entry-level Amazon devices, this Kindle shows ads on the lockscreen. However, these are fairly innocuous and mostly promote books.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-latest-amazon-kindle-drops-to-a-record-low-price-for-prime-day-111558197.html?src=rss 

Prime Day is basically Black Friday for Amazon’s own devices. For almost as long as the shopping event has taken place (it started in July 2015, if you forgot), it’s been one of the most reliable days of the year to snag Amazon gadgets like Kindles Echo speakers and Fire tablets at dirt-cheap prices. Amazon has regular sales all the time, but if you still shell out $139 annually for Prime, it’s in your best interest to wait until mid-July to grab gear that Amazon makes itself. That’s still accurate this year, too — for the most part.

But not for the Echo Dot. Yes, it’s on sale this year for $32. But that discounted price offends me personally — and it should offend you, too. The humble little orb of a smart speaker got the short end of the stick for Prime Day 2025. For reference, the latest edition of the Echo Dot was $23 last July Prime Day, and $23 again during the Black Friday period in 2024.

While a $9 difference may not seem like much, it’s a slap in the face for Prime subscribers who have come to expect the exclusive deals available to them during this arbitrary shopping event to be just as much of a perk of their membership as access to Prime Video, free two-day delivery and the like. It’s worse that Amazon devices are the usual suspects when it comes to Hella Good Deals on Prime Day. If the Prime Day deal on the Echo Dot sucks, that means we can’t reliably expect any of Amazon’s devices to be down to record-low prices during this event.

This, of course, matters not one bit to Amazon. Why the company decided to punish would-be Echo Dot purchasers this time around and not Kindle or Fire TV buyers will likely remain a mystery to us. But considering the uncertainty surrounding tariffs in the US and the steady flow of rising prices on tech as a direct result of that, one theory I have is that Amazon is testing its customers.

If Engadget’s historical Prime Day data is anything to go on, the Echo Dot is an extremely popular purchase — and Amazon likely knows that. If enough customers OK this objectively bad deal by purchasing the Echo Dot at $32 a pop, that signals to Amazon that it can continue to offer bad discounts on its devices without repercussions. I hesitate to say the days of a $23 Echo Dot are totally behind us, but they could be depending on how things go this summer.

That said, the best alternative to the Echo Dot this Prime Day is the Echo Spot for $45. Amazon revived that smart alarm clock last year and, while I don’t think it will boot the Echo Dot out of the speaker lineup any time soon, there’s an argument for such a replacement considering Amazon now also has the ultra-cheap Echo Pop. Regardless, if you were hoping to buy an Echo Dot on discount during Prime Day, I recommend skipping it and opting for the Spot or the Pop instead.

In addition, here are some Prime Day deals that are actually worth your time and money that all come in at $32 or less:

This $23 handheld fan that has already saved me from melting this year in the New York City summer heat.

The $18 Amazon Fire TV Stick HD that we recently named our favorite budget streaming device.

A $16 Samsung Galaxy SmartTag 2, a favorite Bluetooth tracker of ours if you’re a Samsung fan but also have a habit of losing things like your wallet or keys.

A $20 AirTag, if you’re also prone to losing things but identify as an iOS stan.

This $14 Anker wireless charging stand that’s super basic, gets the job done and lets you power up your phone in either portrait or landscape mode.

This $19 Soundcore speaker that’s a little larger than palm-sized and sounds pretty decent for its size.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/you-absolutely-should-not-buy-an-echo-dot-on-prime-day-113023843.html?src=rss 

Prime Day is upon us, and right now you can pick up both the Google Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro for a sizable discount in Amazon’s annual summer sale. The Pixel 10 might be just around the corner, but $250 off two of the very best Android phones you can buy right now is well worth considering.

The Pixel 9 is down to $549 while Prime Day deals are live, and you can grab the Pixel 9 Pro for $749. Again, that’s a whopping $250 saving on either device. We’ve never seen the Pixel 9 cheaper than it right now when purchased from Amazon.

When Engadget’s Sam Rutherford reviewed Google’s non-Pro flagship last year, he called it the go-to Android phone, praising its slick redesign, excellent 6.3-inch OLED display, and solid performance from Google’s Tensor G4 chip. As tends to be the case with Pixel phones, the cameras got a big upgrade, too, with the new 50MP main sensor consistently outperforming the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in situations where plenty of light was available. There isn’t a lot to dislike about this phone, barring the omnipresence of AI bloat in Google phones.

The Pixel 9 Pro is rated as the best overall Android phone available right now in our guide; its a Pro-grade Pixel that can be wielded by those with smaller hands thanks to its 6.3-inch display (those who want the biggest possible pocketable canvas will need to stump up for the 6.8-inch Pixel 9 Pro XL). An upgraded 48MP telephoto sensor improves what is already an excellent array of cameras, while the 5,060mAh battery is pretty superb, running for nearly 25 hours in our looped video rundown test.

This year’s Prime Day sale is Amazon’s longest one yet, running from July 8 (today) through July 11.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/prime-day-deals-include-up-to-250-off-google-pixel-phones-113049357.html?src=rss 

One of the simplest and most pleasurable gadgets you can purchase is a digital photo frame, and luckily, Engadget’s favorite option is on sale for Prime Day. You can purchase the Aura Carver Mat for 20 percent off, bringing the normally $179 frame down to $141.

While many digital photo frames are a mixed bag at best, the Aura Carver Mat topped Engadget’s best digital frames list because it’s simple to set up and looks great. The 10.1-inch frame is made of plastic and designed to be used in landscape, and it makes for a convincing copy of traditional mat photo frames. Aura’s designed the Carver to rotate through the photos you upload on its own, but there’s also a built-in touch bar that can be used to swipe forwards and backwards through your collection, if you want.

Buying into Aura’s system means committing to a device that has to be connected to the internet to work, but Aura’s app for adding photos is easy-enough to use that it should more than make up for it. You can even set the app to automatically upload new photos from a specific album if you want. That feature, along with the ability for multiple accounts to add photos to a single frame, makes the Aura Carver Mat perfect for families who might not all live in the same place. Speaking from experience, grandparents love being able to receive fresh photos of their grandkids without having to lift a finger.

A $150 Amazon Echo Show 8 could make for a formidable alternative to the Aura Carver Mat, especially if you’re interested in having a voice assistant on-call to control your smart home. The single-minded focus of Aura’s device — especially at $141, within spitting distance of last year’s $139 low — is its real charm, though, something you just won’t get from an Echo Show.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/our-favorite-digital-photo-frame-is-20-percent-off-for-prime-day-101539661.html?src=rss 

The well-regarded Bose QuietComfort headphones are on sale for just $199 as part of the Prime Day festivities. That’s a significant discount of 42 percent, as the regular price is $350. The deal applies to multiple colorways.

These QuietComfort headphones include active noise cancellation (ANC) and multipoint connectivity for switching between various audio sources. There’s a fully customizable EQ that can be adjusted via the affiliated app. The battery life is fantastic here, offering 24 hours of use per charge. Also, there’s a quick-charge feature that provides 2.5 hours of use from a 15 minute trip to the outlet.

As to the name, these cans include plush, padded earcups and an adjustable padded band. They should be comfortable for all-day use. We haven’t gotten a chance to review this particular model, but we loved the QuietComfort Ultra headphones. They even found a spot on our list of the best wireless headphones. Bose typically makes great stuff.

The headphones do come with a microphone, but some reviews suggest the quality is a bit off when compared to rival units. However, it still gets the job done for a quick phone call or whatever. The major downside here is the price, as $350 is a whole lot of cheddar. Luckily, today’s deal calms some of that sticker shock.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-bose-quietcomfort-headphones-drop-to-199-for-prime-day-103010885.html?src=rss 

Amazon’s Prime Day is always a great time to consider a TV upgrade (aside from Black Friday, of course). So we’ve gathered the best selection of Prime Day TV deals we could find. While the prices for big screen TVs have fallen quite a bit over the years, even for coveted tech like OLED, there’s always room for additional discounts. 

For this July Prime Day, we’re seeing prices slashed on Samsung, Sony and LG sets, in addition to several other manufacturers. And as usual, we’ve also collected a few solid deals on streaming devices and soundbars to upgrade your setup even more. Who needs to shell out for the cinema when you can get an enormous screen and bombastic sound at a huge discount?

Best OLED TV deals

Sony Bravia 8 II (65”) QD OLED for $2,998 (down from $3,500): Sony’s top of the line set has everything you’d want in a high-end TV, like quantum dots for improved color and brightness, as well as the inky dark blacks and infinite contrast of a modern OLED panel. You’ll always pay a bit of a premium for Sony TVs, but partially that’s due to their world-class image processing – in this case, that’s handled by Sony’s XR chip. (You can also snag the 55-inch model for $2,500.)

LG OLED Evo C5 (65-inch) for $1,797 (down from $2,700): LG has steadily improved its C-series over the years, and the C5 Evo is its best model yet. In addition to the usual benefits of OLED, it also sports a brightness booster that can help it work well in bright rooms, as well as LG’s own “Perfect Color” technology. It doesn’t have quantum dots like Sony and Samsung’s OLEDs, but it’s also coming in significantly less than those models. The C5 Evo also has a fast 144Hz refresh rate for gaming, as well as support for NVIDIA’s G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. (If you’re looking for something larger, the 77-inch model has also been discounted to $2,800.)

Best Mini LED TV deals

TCL QM8K (65-inch) QD Mini LED for $1,500 (down from $2,500): TCL’s QM8 sets feature the company’s best and brightest Mini LED screens with Quantum Dots. It has an ultra-thin bezel, 144Hz refresh rate for fast gaming and one of the best contrast ratios you’ll see outside of an OLED screen. Basically, it’s one of the best screens you’ll find that’s not an OLED. While we think the 65-inch model is a great deal for most rooms, you can also step up to the 75-inch for $2,000, the 85-inch for $2,500 and the massive 98-inch set for $3,000. 

TCL QM6K (98-inch) QD Mini LED for $1,800 (down from $3,000 MSRP): The QM6K is one of the best deals we’ve seen on a 98-inch TV under $2,000, and it’s not a low-quality LCD either. It has a bright Mini LED screen with quantum dots for enhanced color, and it sports a fast 144Hz refresh rate for gaming. It’s also a pretty solid Prime Day deal, coming in much lower than the previous $2,200 low price. (If you don’t have the wall space for a nearly 100-inch set, the 65-inch model is similarly great and is down to $550, nearly half off its $1,000 MSRP and $100 off its lowest price. The 75-inch model is also a great deal at $850.)

Sony Bravia 5 (85-inch) Mini LED for $2,298 (down from $2,800): The Bravia 5 pairs a bright Mini LED panel with Sony’s excellent XR image processing chip. It won’t reach the deep dark black levels of OLED, but Mini LED achieves something close, and it can also get much brighter than OLED panels. That makes this model, as well as any Mini LED TV, a good option for bright rooms. (You can also scale down to the 65-inch and 75-inch Bravia 5 for $1,300 and $1,800, respectively. And there’s also the truly massive 98-inch model, which is now $1,000 off at $5,000.)

Best Samsung Frame TV deals

Samsung The Frame (75-inch, 2024) for $1,498 on 7/8 (down from $3,000), $1,699 for the rest of Prime Day week: If you want a TV that doesn’t actually look like a TV, the Samsung’s Frame sets are the best option. They offer painting-like bezels, and they can display art work when you’re not watching anything. This deal is one of the best we’ve seen on a large-screen Frame set — while it’s a 2024 model, it still offers a sharp QLED panel, slim wall mounting and an anti-reflective coating to prevent window glare. (If you’re looking for something smaller, the 65-inch 2024 Frame TV is down to $1,199, and the 55-inch is on sale for $799.)

Samsung The Frame Pro (65-inch) for $1,899 (down from $2,200): New for 2025, Samsung’s Frame Pro sets offer brighter and higher-quality Mini LED panels for a superior TV watching experience. The 65-inch Frame Pro is a great option for most living rooms since it’s large enough to deliver an immersive viewing experience, and it also comes with Samsung’s wireless One Connect box for less cable clutter. While there’s still no OLED Frame TV yet, this Mini LED set is the closest you’ll get today. (If you’re looking for something larger, the 75-inch Frame Pro is down to $2,699, and the 85-inch is $3,799.)    

Best budget TV deals

Amazon Fire TV (50-inch) for $260 (down from $400): Amazon’s budget Fire TV sets handle the basics just fine, and at this price the 50-inch model is a compelling deal as a second or third TV set. It supports HDR10 (but not Dolby Vision), and as you’d expect, it also has the Amazon Fire TV OS built-in, giving you access to over 23,000 apps. It also sports Amazon’s Alexa Voice Remote to help you find content quickly. (You can also go up and down in size, depending on your needs. The 43-inch model is now down to $220, and it’d be a solid choice for a small bedroom or office.)

Best soundbar and speaker deals

Sony Bravia Theater Quad for $2,000 (down from $2,500): Leave it up to Sony to do something different in the world of home entertainment. The Bravia Theater Quad are a set of four flat modules, containing a total of sixteen speakers, which deliver truly enveloping surround sound. They’re the ideal solution for anyone who wants a theatrical experience, but doesn’t want to see gigantic tower or bookshelf speakers in their space. They support Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Mapping, as well as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 for $998 (down from $1,400): The Bravia Theater Bar 9 is Sony’s most capable self-contained soundbar, with 13 speakers and support for virtualized surround sound with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Sony’s own 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology. It’s the best option if you want to enjoy your favorite movies and music loud, but also don’t want to see speakers all over your living room. (The Bravia Theater 8 is also discounted to $698 and very well-equipped, with 11 speakers and the same surround sound support. )

Sony Bravia Theater System 6 for $568 (down from $770): If you want real surround sound from an actual subwoofer and satellite speakers spread around your room, the Bravia Theater System 6 is a solid choice. It pairs together a compact soundbar, wireless subwoofer and two rear satellites (connected by a wireless amplifier).. It’s a great option for apartments and small living rooms where you just can’t live with virtualized surround sound. (You can also snag the soundbar on its own for $448, down from $650.)

Best streaming deals

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 (down from $50): Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is a simple way to add some streaming smarts to any TV with an HDMI port. Alternatively, you can load it up with your favorite streaming apps and bring it on the road – it sure beats fighting with apps built into hotel or AirBnb TVs. As a bonus, you can also play Xbox cloud streaming games when you pair a controller (Xbox GamePass membership required).

Roku Ultra for $69 (down from $100): Roku’s ultimate set-top box is the best streamer for home theater enthusiasts who want to avoid the more expensive Apple TV. It handles every video and audio format you’d want — including Dolby Vision, Atmos and HDR 10+ — and it also comes with Roku’s rechargeable Voice Remote Pro. The Roku Ultra is also the fastest device from the company, so you can expect to zip around Roku’s interface and apps far faster than the cheaper streamings sticks.

Roku Streaming Stick+ for $30 (down from $40): The Roku Streaming Stick+ is the easiest way to bring Roku’s robust app selection to any 4K TV. It’s a great option for first-generation 4K sets that either had no streaming apps, or are way too slow by now. And it’s a great gadgets to bring on trips to maintain access to all of your favorite streaming services.  

Roku Streaming Stick HD For $20 (down from $30): The basic HD Roku Streaming stick is a solid option for bringing streaming apps to older TVs, which likely don’t support 4K or any fancy HDR standards. Sure, it’s as no frills as you can get, but for $20 it’s worth having a backup streaming device. (or one you won’t mind losing during a trip). And if you have an older TV that’s still working, it’s definitely worth investing a bit to get modern apps.     

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/best-prime-day-tv-deals-2025-from-sony-lg-samsung-and-others-084705164.html?src=rss