19 Best Deals: TVs, Soundbars, and Headphones
Best Buy is running a killer sale event on all kinds of tech, including tablets and smartwatches, but it ends December…
If you thought Black Friday and Cyber Monday were the only times to save on all your favorite gadgets and gifts, think again! Best Buy is currently hosting a sale that ends December 11, giving you time to grab anything you missed out on during Cyber Week. We’ve rounded up discounts on TVs, soundbars, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, and headphones, some of which are seeing the same if not better price drops. These deals aren’t all exclusive to Best Buy either.
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TV and Soundbar Deals
Check out our Best TVs and Best Soundbars guides for more.
A television is often the centerpiece of your living room, so it’d make sense for it to look nice. Right now, the prettiest TV we’ve seen is on sale. The Sony A90J has a beautiful OLED panel, fast processing, and a user-friendly Android TV interface. It has weird legs at the end, so you’ll want to wall-mount it unless you have a super-long TV stand.
Need a super-affordable TV? Whether your budget is low or you want a screen in the bedroom, this one will do the trick, and it’s an even better value right now. This 2021 model has full-array local dimming for deep contrast, 4K resolution, and built-in Roku support, so you can start streaming immediately.
The Vizio M-Series Elevate 5.1.2 is the snazzier version of our favorite soundbar for under $500. The Elevate is Vizio’s version of the sleek Sonos design, with more rounded edges and a darker charcoal color. You’ll get all the benefits of Dolby Atmos surround sound at a lower price.
Laptop and Tablet Deals
Check out our Best Laptops and Best Tablets guides for more recommendations.
This is the same price we saw during Cyber Monday and Black Friday. The newest MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best Apple laptop for most people. The display is bigger and better than on its predecessor, the design is sleeker, and the charging cord is a crowd favorite—MagSafe. You’ll also get solid battery life, which definitely comes in handy.
I grew up in the age of computer rooms, so I tend to get nostalgic for that classic window pane design. The Dell XPS 13 Plus (7/10, WIRED Recommends) isn’t the Windows of yesteryear, though. This upgrade to our frequent favorite has a futuristic invisible trackpad, a gapless keyboard, and a high-performing processor.
Apple recently updated its most basic iPad (7/10, WIRED Review) with slim bezels, Apple’s A14 chip, and a USB-C port. Like on the iPad Air, the Touch ID sensor is integrated into the power button that sits on the top edge of the slate. The rear camera has been upgraded to 12 megapixels instead of 8. But, perhaps most important, the 12-MP selfie camera has been moved to the center of the iPad (in landscape mode), so you’ll no longer have to uncomfortably stare to the side during video calls. The bad news is that Apple jacked the price up $120 over previous models. This deal is better than what we saw on Cyber Monday, and it makes the slate more approachable.
This is one of the lowest prices we’ve seen on this slate (even better than Cyber Monday!). The iPad Air (8/10, WIRED Recommends) features the M1 chip and USB-C charging, and it supports the second-generation Apple Pencil. This is great for drawing and doodling, but plenty powerful for most other tasks. iPadOS is still limiting when it comes to using it for work, but the latest version makes multitasking a bit easier. The Cellular model is also on sale for $650 ($100 off), one of its lowest prices ever.
At 12.4 inches, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 SE is one of the largest Android tablets you can buy at this price. The LCD screen looks great, and even the speakers sound good, so it’s great for streaming your favorite series. Just know there’s no headphone jack, and the performance can be stuttery now and then.
This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the Tab S8 Ultra, Samsung’s fanciest Android tablet to date. We have only tested the smaller Tab S8, but the Ultra model is much bigger with its 14.6-inch screen, and the AMOLED display looks nicer. It’s powerful, comes with the S Pen stylus, and has cameras in the center when in landscape mode so that you’re centered during video calls.
We already think the Amazon Fire HD 10 is the best tablet for under $200, so needless to say we’re head over heels when it’s on sale and under $100. This 2021 tablet is the best out of the Fire lineup, with enough power to process most tasks, USB-C charging, and hands-free Alexa support. There’s no Google Play store, but luckily there’s a workaround for that.
The newer Fire HD 8 is a great budget tablet with nearly the same functionality as the Fire HD 10, just more portable. The 8-inch screen is great for traveling, but you will compromise on the picture quality a little bit.
Out of all the Android tablets out there, the Lenovo Tab P11 Plus is among our favorites. It’s pretty fast for the money, and coupled with a decent 11-inch LCD screen, it’s great for playing games, putting on a movie, or even upping your productivity at work. If the latter is your goal, this tablet has a Productivity Mode when a Bluetooth keyboard connects for a more desktop-like interface. Just know that it won’t receive Android 12L.
Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker Deals
Be sure to read our Best Smartwatches guide for more options.
This Garmin is really, really cute. The Vivomove Sport has all the functionality of other great Garmin smartwatches, including accurate fitness tracking, a handy Garmin Connect app, and up to five days’ worth of battery. It doesn’t have the GPS tracking that other Garmins have, but that’s nothing your smartphone can’t solve.
I have tiny little hands, so some smartwatches look bulky and oversized on me. The Lily Sport is our favorite small Garmin smartwatch, and it’s perfect for smaller wrists like mine. But don’t let its size fool you—the Lily Sport’s screen reacts just as well, tracks your fitness data, and looks cute all the while.
If you want to pair a smartwatch with your Android phone, look no further. The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is great, especially if you have a Samsung phone, offering the ability to see and respond to notifications, reliable fitness tracking, and two-day battery life. The watch itself is attractive and comfortable too—a combination you don’t always get.
Headphone Deals
You can find the rest of our favorite headphones here.
What sounds even better than the Sony WH-1000XM5 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) headphones? Hearing they’re on sale. These noise-canceling wireless headphones are the best of the best with their 30-hour battery life and comfy cushioning. They can even sense when you’re talking and pause what you’re playing for you. I would say that’s handy, but it’s actually pretty hands-free. (Ba-dum-tssss.) This is the same price we saw during Black Friday.
Runners rejoice: The Sony LinkBuds (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are awesome for safely listening to music without drowning the rest of the world out. These buds have a unique design with a hole in the center so natural sounds can seep through, while still playing your preferred playlist. Just know there’s no wireless charging embedded into the case, so you’ll have to plug it in to juice ’em back up.
These headphones are just as good as they look. The Apple Airpods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) are the accessory of the season, with great noise cancellation, booming bass, and crisp sound. One of the coolest features? They can track your head movement while watching on streaming apps like HBOMax, giving you a surround sound experience.
Whether you’re taking on the treadmill or lifting weights, the Jabra Elite 7 are our favorite headphones to use for workouts. You get an IP57 rating for water and dust resistance, smooth silicone on the buds themselves, and superb sound. You can even adjust the EQ levels in the Jabra app to customize your listening experience.
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