14 Best Deals: Apple iPads, Laptops, and Outdoor Gear
Whether you’re looking for new tech to get through long cool nights, or planning a spring camping trip, there are plenty…
Depending on where you live, it’s either starting to look a little like spring or still totally socked in winter. Damn that groundhog. Either way, we have some deals for you. Those of you stuck in the throes of winter might like a new iPad or laptop to entertain you while the snow flies. For those of you in warmer climes, now is a great time of year to stock up on outdoor gear. Online retailers are clearing out last year’s stock and discounting this year’s items to lure customers in.
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Top Tech Deals
This deal is the lowest price we’ve seen for our favorite Android smartphone, and it usually only dips during big sale events. The Pixel 6A (8/10, WIRED Recommends) offers a nice, bright AMOLED screen, excellent performance, and good cameras, especially at this price. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better cheap phone.
This is the lowest price we’ve seen on the latest 4th-generation 11-inch iPad Pro from 2022 (7/10, WIRED Review). The Pro models are the best tablets Apple makes, though they are overkill for most people. This iPad uses the same M2 chip that’s inside the new MacBook Air and is correspondingly powerful, and iPadOS has enough tricks up its sleeve to be sufficient as a laptop replacement. This is a good deal on the 1-terabyte model and the 2-TB version is also on sale for $200 off. Too pricey? Check out the M1-powered iPad Air from 2022. It’s not on sale but it will save you a bit of cash and still get the job done.
We’ve seen this deal come and go over the last few months, and it has dipped slightly lower, but this is still a chance to save $50 on the latest MacBook Air (7/10, WIRED Recommends). The display has been refreshed in this model, along with the new M2 chip. It’s no MacBook Pro, which has more power and ports, but the Air is light, portable, and perfect for anyone working on the go.
Here’s your chance to get an upgraded Dell XPS 13 for the price of the base model (5/10, WIRED Review). We found the base model, which uses an Intel i5 chip, lacking in power. This deal features a more powerful i7 chip and doubles the RAM to 16 gigabytes, giving you the power you need for more demanding workloads. You also get a slightly larger, 512-gigabyte SSD. Some limitations remain—there are only two USB-C ports and no headphone jack—but this deal overcomes most of our qualms about the latest XPS 13.
While the svelte 13-inch model gets most of the press, I’ve long believed the XPS 15 is the real laptop to get in Dell’s lineup. The extra screen real estate and added power of a dedicated graphics card (the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 in this case) put the XPS 15 in a different league. I haven’t tested this model, but the main downside to the 15-inch in my experience with previous models is that battery life suffers. Use the savings to grab a nice portable charger.
Samsung recently updated the Shield to include this new 4-terabyte model. Right now you can pick it up for the same price as the 2-terabyte version. It lacks the fingerprint reader of other models in the Shield lineup, but it has an IP65 rating, which means it’s fine in the rain and protected from dust and sand. It’s a good choice for life in your bag.
Best Outdoor Deals
Only one color is on sale, but so long as you don’t mind the blue-brown theme, this chair is the coziest way to hang out around camp. It might be huge, heavy, and awkward to fold, but it’s all worth it once you cram everyone you love on it in front of a fire.
I tested this chair back when it was first released, and I like it, but at full price, I found it tough to recommend. It’s still not cheap even half off, but if you’re looking for a very comfortable reclining camp chair that still packs down reasonably compact, this is the best I’ve tried.
This synthetic-filled puffy vest stuffs down like a feathered jacket and is impressively warm. This deal does vary by size and price, but there’s a good selection available on sale. The men’s sizing is on sale as well, though the discount isn’t quite as good and sizes are limited.
This is one of our top picks from our merino wool guide. This jacket is 100 percent merino and incredibly warm despite not being all that thick. That makes it a great option for days when the weather may vary considerably—it’s warm enough for cold mornings, but won’t be a burden in your pack the rest of the day.
Merino makes for great beanies too. It breathes better than synthetics and doesn’t itch. A ton of things merino are on sale right now at Backcountry.com, but I’m highlighting this beanie because everyone needs a nice warm hat. It’s 100 percent merino wool, unlike many other beanies for this price which are a blend of fibers.
If I had space I’d write a whole ode to the simple foam pad and why you need one. I know, I know inflatable pads are tiny and light but do they double as a chair at lunch? Closed cell foam makes this pad dense, but light and the accordion-folding design makes it easy to strap to your pack where it’s ready when you need it.
You don’t have to be outdoors to use the AeroPress, but it does make great camp coffee. It’s one of the most reliable, simple methods of brewing coffee wherever you are. If you’re just getting started upgrading your coffee experience, the AeroPress is a great way to go. It’s also more capable than most people realize—it can even brew something very close to espresso.
This is a good deal on Nikon’s entry-level Prostaff series binoculars. I find 10×30 an ideal size for hiking—it’s high-powered enough to see well, with a wider field of view than very compact bins (like 7×25 for example), but still light enough that I don’t mind wearing them all day. See more options in our Best Binoculars guide.
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