14 Great Deals on TVs, Audio Gear, and Smartwatches
Treat your eyeballs and eardrums with this weekend’s discounts….
This weekend, we’re going all-in on deals designed to plug you into the vast interconnected world of television and audio streaming. We’ve found a few great discounts on TVs, soundbars, and headphones. But don’t worry. If you’re worried about becoming a couch potato, we’ve also got deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers to keep you moving when you need a break from the living room.
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TV Deals
Now is the time to snag deals on TVs from 2021 as everyone makes way for 2022 models. In most cases, there’s very little difference year over year. When else do you get to save and upgrade at the same time? Check out our guides to the Best TVs and Best Streaming Devices for more, and our tips on choosing the right TV.
This is the best price we’ve seen on the LG C1. OLED screens have the blackest on-screen blacks because each pixel acts as its own backlight and can turn off completely to show you the deepest blacks. It also makes a great gaming monitor with its Nvidia G-Sync support, low input lag, and ability to run 4K at a 120-Hz refresh rate.
This Hisense is WIRED associate editor Parker Hall’s “close second” pick for his favorite TV, thanks to its 120-Hz refresh rate, built-in Android interface, and price. The more centered stand is one of the most attractive on the market too.
4K resolution isn’t just for high-priced TVs anymore. Take the mid-tier Vizio as an example. WIRED editor Parker Hall gave the M-Series high marks (8/10, WIRED Recommends), thanks to local dimming that offers great color contrast and updated Smartcast technology that makes it a cinch to cast from computers, tablets, and smartphones. This deal has been running since February, but it spiked in the middle of March.
Bright ambient light can be the enemy of TVs. It reflects off the screen and washes out colors and deep blacks. The QN90A’s QLED screen provides color contrast that is nearly as good as an OLED screen, but it can shine brighter, which makes it a top pick for bright rooms.
We’ve seen this dip lower, but this is still a solid deal. Google TV is one of our favorite streaming dongles. WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano says this feature-rich version still lets you cast content to the TV from your phone or computer with Google’s Chromecast technology, but the spiffy interface, cute remote, and quick access to Google Assistant steal the show.
Audio Deals
Don’t neglect your audio. Too many people buy the latest and greatest television screens, tablets, smartphones, and computers but hobble their listening experience by relying on tinny, stock speakers. Swing by our Best Wireless Headphones and Best Soundbars guides for more picks, and our tips on choosing the right soundbar can supercharge your listening experience.
Despite the name difference, this is the same soundbar as the Yamaha YAS-209. It’s one of our favorite soundbars, thanks to its rich spread of features. It has Amazon Alexa, Spotify Connect, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth, and according to WIRED editor Parker Hall, “It sounds better than it has any right to at this price,” with crisp and clear audio and booming bass.
Forget the audio cables. This soundbar from Samsung isn’t hugely discounted, but it’s affordable and connects to TVs and devices over Bluetooth. Its Smart Sound features automatically detect what you’re watching or listening to and optimize the audio settings to best match what’s coming through its four speakers.
Jabra is a popular headphone brand for workouts, and with good reason. The Elite 7 are the latest pair, and they offer an IP57 rating for dust- and water-resistance and eight hours of battery runtime. Plus, you can customize the EQ settings in the Jabra Sound+ app.
These headphones for kids purposefully cap listening volume at 85 decibels in order to protect their sensitive ears. These JLab headphones last for 13 hours on a charge and are built tough enough to survive the abuse handed out by little humans, thanks to pinch-less hinges.
Smartwatch and Fitness Tracker Deals
You thought we were going to encourage you to spend all your time kicking back and relaxing, didn’t you? Don’t worry. We’ve got your exercise routine covered, too. These devices can help you take the occasional trip to the gym or outdoors for a run, although they are just as stylish and useful around the house. Be sure to also take a look at our guides to Best Smartwatches and Best Fitness Trackers.
The Halo offers most of the standard fitness tracker features, even going so far as to measure your body fat percentage, but its selling point is that it constantly evaluates your tone of voice to detect changes in your emotional or psychological state. WIRED senior associate reviews editor Adrienne So tested one out and said the feedback it gave her led to positive behavioral changes.
The Apple Watch Series 7 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) remains our favorite smartwatch for iPhone owners. The new QWERTY keyboard lets you finally quit having to scribble or use your voice to respond to messages on the watch. It also comes with an array of improved fitness and health-monitoring features, such as fall detection, workout tracking, and sleep tracking.
If you’re into the idea of a smartwatch but don’t dig the look of a big, blocky screen, check out this Skagen. It looks like an analog watch, but it packs plenty of the usual features, such as music playback, smartphone notifications, weather data, and heart rate information. The women’s version is on sale for the same price.
For a budget fitness tracker, you can’t get better than the Letsfit. Sure, it’s a knock-off of the Fitbit Versa and clearly not built of the same quality, but for this price, you get a waterproof fitness tracker with a reasonably accurate pedometer.
The AMOLED display on this tracker is beautiful, according to WIRED editor Adrienne So, and she likes Fitbit’s easy-to-use smartphone app. It’s comfortable and a great step tracker, but using the screen with sweaty fingers can be a little tricky.
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