Best Deals on Electronics Right Now

Think of the elegant Pixel Watch as the Apple Watch of the Android world. It’s designed to integrate smoothly with Google’s devices, like the Pixel phone and earbuds, as well as those Google-owned services that dominate the internet. The watch sits near the top of our ratings, with strong grades for ease of use, readability in bright and low light, and heart rate accuracy. Battery life is a bit of an issue at only 24 hours.

Why it’s a good deal: While it sold for a little under $300 during Prime Day, this is the only color option still on sale, and the sale price has even dipped $10 compared to last week.

Those looking to spend a bit less for a 65-inch OLED TV should consider the LG OLED65B2PUA, one of LG’s entry-level OLED TVs from 2022. It has top-notch overall picture quality and very good sound, but doesn’t get as bright as the C2 sets, so its HDR performance isn’t as good.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the same sale price we saw during Walmart and Best Buy’s big sales a couple weeks ago, but it’s now only available at Best Buy for this price.

The TCL 40S355 is a 1080p TV, which is getting harder to find even in this screen size. It delivers very good overall picture quality, though its sound quality isn’t great and its viewing angle is fairly narrow. This set is a Roku TV, so you can access a lot of streaming services right from the TV.

Why it’s a good deal: This is now $10 more than it was last week, and $30 more than the low we saw on Prime Day, so it’s not a huge savings, but it’s still a great price for a TV this size.

The Toshiba 32V35KU is a 720p TV, so you get HD, not 4K, resolution. Its picture quality is decent, if unexciting, but it’s at a low price for that second or third set for a smaller room of the house. One good thing is it has the Amazon Fire TV smart TV system, so you have access to streaming services, plus the Alexa digital voice assistant built in.

Why it’s a good deal: It’s now back to its Prime Day price after jumping up $10 for a short while.

The Ring Video Doorbell 3 is among the best smart doorbells you can buy, offering impeccable video quality and strong dara security in our lab tests. Its features include a removable rechargeable battery, voice control via Amazon Alexa, monitoring zones, alert schedules, and privacy zones that let you black out areas you don’t want to film (such as a neighbor’s house).

Why it’s a good deal: This doorbell is still at its Prime Day price, just $10 more than the low price we saw for Black Friday last year.

The Bosma Aegis retrofit smart lock receives high scores across the board in our tests, including for its ease of remote access. It also comes with plenty of features, such as auto-locking, auto-unlocking, voice and app control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, electronic keys, an access log, a door open/close sensor, and a tamper alarm to warn you of a possible break-in.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the same price we saw for Prime Day, thanks to an on-page coupon. We’ve seen it sell for $10 less recently, so you may want to wait and see if the price dips again if you don’t need it right away.

For a higher-end camera, consider the Arlo Pro 4. It connects directly to WiFi (no need for a hub) and features a built-in spotlight for color night vision, a rechargeable battery, a siren, and voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. In our tests, it offers great response time for alerts, robust data security, and plenty of smart features. The only flaw is that its video quality doesn’t match its claimed 2K resolution. Cloud video storage and additional features (such as person, package, vehicle, and animal detection) require an Arlo Secure subscription.

Why it’s a good deal: The prices aren’t as good as they were during Prime Day, but you’re still saving a good chunk of money if you need a camera now. Otherwise, wait until the holiday season when we expect the discounts to get better.

The TP-Link Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug Slim EP25 is very easy to use and set up based on our expert evaluations, and it offers decent data security. It’s also one of the most versatile smart plugs on the market, offering energy monitoring and compatibility with all four major smart home systems: Amazon Alexa, Apple Home/Siri, Google Home/Assistant, and Samsung SmartThings.

Why it’s a good deal: You can get this four-pack for just $3 more than it sold for on Prime Day.

If you need a highly portable laptop that can easily slip into a bag without weighing you down, you might consider this 12.4-inch notebook from Microsoft, which is now nearly $10 cheaper than it was during Prime Day. It has an Intel Core i5 processor, 8 gigabytes of memory, and 256GB of solid-state storage. Given that “Go” is part of the name, you shouldn’t be surprised that it’s quite light (2.5 pounds) and has a battery that can last 11 hours while handling lightweight tasks like browsing the web.

Why it’s a good deal: This is an impressive discount, coming in at $25 below what we saw during Prime Day.

Thin, light, and powerful, the 2020 MacBook Air is still at its Prime Day price. It’s a great machine, even though there’s a newer MacBook Air for shoppers to consider. The older laptop provides a compelling combination of performance and battery life. Instead of using an Intel chip, as all Apple computers had done since 2006, it’s powered by Apple’s own M1 processor. In our tests, the processor performs with admirable speed, similar to devices powered by Intel Core i7 processors. The 2020 MacBook Air racks up an impressive 10.75 hours of web browsing per charge in CR’s testing.

Why it’s a good deal: This laptop has been on sale for $800 for the past few weeks, and now it’s $50 cheaper, marking it the best price we’ve seen all year.

This 16.1-inch HP Victus 16 laptop provides performance that rivals some of the fastest models in our tests, and it’s appropriate for graphics-intensive tasks like gaming and video editing. It has an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 gigabytes of RAM, a 512GB solid-state drive, and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card with 6GB of dedicated video memory. Its battery life should last you through most of a workday.

Why it’s a good deal: This is a big discount from the original price, a deal we’ve seen since last week’s big sales.

The Sennheiser Momentum 3 is a stylish true wireless noise-canceling headphone that’s aimed at the high-end market. Both the cloth-covered charger and the earbuds themselves exude elegance, and the model delivers sound that’s satisfying if not quite state of the art, though it’s better than the previous Momentum 2. On the feature front, it’s sweat-resistant and compatible with both Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant. 

Why it’s a good deal: This is a more than $100 discount from the original price and within a few dollars of the low we saw for Amazon Prime Day.

Though the second-generation AirPods don’t get top marks for sound quality in Consumer Reports’ testing, there’s no denying the appeal of these true wireless earphones for many Apple fans—especially at a big discount.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the same sale price that’s been available for some time, but it’s still nice to get AirPods for under $100.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 ranks among our top-rated noise-canceling earbuds, and this is a hefty discount. Expect solid audio quality and noise cancellation, a long battery life, and handy features, including an ambient sound monitoring mode that lets you keep an ear on your environment.

Why it’s a good deal: This is a great discount for these earbuds, and Walmart is the only place to get them on sale right now. Just note that they’ve sold for as little as $175 during major sales and are likely to be a better price closer to the holiday shopping season.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is a workhorse, earning a spot among the top non-Apple tablets CR has tested. It’s a great option if you want a tablet with a large 12.4-inch screen. It does have a shorter battery life than most, at just 7.3 hours for web browsing. It also has expandable storage with a built-in micro SD reader, and it gets high scores for performance, convenience, and versatility.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the best price we’ve seen for this tablet, making it an ideal time to hit that buy button.

Black-and-white laser printers don’t get enough love from everyday shoppers. A machine like the HP LaserJet M209dwe can be far cheaper to operate than almost any inkjet, while spewing out very sharp, clear text at impressive speeds. Now this is a barebones machine. It prints only in black and white. It’s pretty inept at producing graphics, and it lacks the ability to copy or scan documents. Oh, and about that six-month deal on cartridges: You’ll need to set up an HP account and maintain the printer’s internet access. (Note that the printer accepts only HP toner cartridges.) If you’re okay with all that, the HP LaserJet M209dwe can be a good deal. What it does, it does extremely well, while consuming a modest corner of a desk—and an even smaller slice of a household budget.

Why it’s a good deal: A reliable printer for less than $100 is rare but perfect for someone with basic printing needs.

As with other reservoir- or tank-style printers, the EcoTank Photo ET-2400 does away with pricey replacement cartridges in favor of tanks that can be replenished with low-cost bottles of ink. Our estimates show the typical yearly cost to keep this printer running is just $5, a fraction of the figure for conventional inkjets. The model scores well for text and graphics quality, but it’s relatively slow compared with other inkjets and offers only basic features: WiFi connectivity, scanning and copying, and a 100-sheet paper tray. If you own the model for a few years, however, it becomes one of the cheapest printers in our ratings, especially for those who routinely churn out recipes, book reports, tickets, schedules, graphics-heavy school projects, and the like.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the same sale price we’ve seen for the past few weeks, but we haven’t seen it dip any lower in some time.

Apple introduced an updated version of its high-value SE watch in September, which has led to a series of solid deals on the first-generation Watch SE. The earlier version uses a less powerful processor than the new model, but it performs most of the functions that make the SE one of our highest-rated smartwatches. The major difference between the prior-generation SE and the Apple Watch Series 8 is that the SE lacks a blood oxygen sensor, which helps boost sleep-tracking accuracy, as well as a temperature sensor that can provide retroactive estimates of ovulation. The SE also lacks the high-speed g-force sensor that can sense when you’ve been in a car crash, a feature found on the latest SE, which starts at $249. But on your wrist, the earlier SE is almost identical to the new SE or even the Series 8.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the most affordable way to get your hands on an Apple Watch.

The Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 features whimsical and colorful styling that says it’s time for fun. It’s a little larger than UE’s Boom 3, and our testers report that it sounds significantly better, too. The model also provides enough volume for use outside or in a large room. According to the manufacturer, the Megaboom 3 can survive immersion in 1 meter of water for up to a half-hour. The manufacturer claims that the Megaboom 3 floats, but it’s still probably a good idea to move it before the tide comes in.

Why it’s a good deal: A 14 percent discount isn’t bad. However, this was about $40 less for Prime Day, so if you can wait, the next big sale may bring a better price.

If you prefer Google Assistant to Alexa, the Google Nest Audio may be a good choice. Alexa smart speakers have a wider variety of skills and can be great for shopping on Amazon, but some users like Google’s powerful search function and find Google’s interface to be more natural and easier to use.

Google brags about the Nest Audio’s sonic performance, but our testers found that the gains are more modest. The speaker generates enough volume for a midsized room, but the midrange is a little hazy and there’s some sizzle on the high frequencies. While it’s better than the old Google Home, the Nest Audio still can’t compete with the best-sounding smart speakers. It also doesn’t sound quite as good as the similarly priced fourth-generation Amazon Echo.

Why it’s a good deal: This is a nice price, especially if you’re already a fan of Google Assistant.

The JBL Bar 5.0 Multibeam is a compact 5.0-channel sound bar speaker that delivers good overall sound quality. It has a good number of features, including built-in streaming via Amazon Alexa, Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast, plus Bluetooth. By default, the speaker is in Smart Mode, which adds some effects to create a wider soundstage; it can be turned off, which improves the overall sound but loses the wider soundstage.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the best price we’ve seen for this soundbar.

Stepping up to the 3.1.2-channel LG S75Q in LG’s lineup gets you support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound, although it actually didn’t do quite as well for sound as the LG S65Q model below it. The main enclosure has two upfiring drivers to add the element of height, and like the S65Q model the LG Sound Sync feature lets you connect wirelessly via Bluetooth to compatible LG TVs.

Why it’s a good deal: This is the best price we’ve seen since Prime Day, when it was selling for around $300.

The Samsung HW-Q600B 3.1.2-channel soundbar system, which supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D audio, delivers decent overall sound quality, so more casual listeners will probably find it sufficient for music and movie soundtracks. The main enclosure has two upfiring drivers for height. Like other Samsung Q-series soundbars and TVs, it can sync the soundbar and TV speakers to work together to produce a fuller soundstage.

Why it’s a good deal: The sale price has crept up about $35 compared to last week, but it’s still a good discount considering it typically retails for about $300.

This wireless router does quite well in our ratings. It’s not a mesh router, but if a single-unit router is sufficient to envelop your home in WiFi, this should do a good job. Our testers note high speeds (technically referred to as “throughput”) across near, medium, and far distances, as well as useful additional features like automatic firmware updating (which helps keep you and your data safe) and the ability to manage everything from a smartphone app.

Why it’s a good deal: This is just a few dollars higher than the low price we saw during Prime Day, making it an excellent time to buy.

Deco is TP-Link’s line of mesh routers, which use multiple units (here, two) working together to spread WiFi far and wide throughout your home. It scores well in our ratings. Speeds across a range of distances are fast, and extra features like automatic firmware updating and smartphone-based management are appreciated by our testers. There are even a generous four built-in Ethernet ports for connecting devices like video game consoles.

Why it’s a good deal: This mesh router system is back down it its low price after being about $50 more for the last week.

It’s hard to argue with a solid wireless router that costs less than $150, and Google WiFi is still at its Prime Day price, $10 below that mark. It gets high scores across most of our tests and has features like automatic firmware updating and smartphone-based management. There are also two built-in Ethernet ports.

Why it’s a good deal: This is about $30 more than the lowest price we’ve seen. It’s about 15 percent off now, which isn’t bad if you need to replace your current setup. However, if you can wait, you may be able to get it for less closer to Labor Day.