Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
If you’re keeping track of the ludicrous amount of things being announced at CES this week, you already know there are plenty of new toys to look forward to coming down the pipeline in 2022. Though, as excited as we are, most of it is going to be very costly. We love the idea of a 97-inch TV as much as the next person, but let’s instead take a look at some great deals on tech we can own today that shouldn’t require a second mortgage.
Starting us off, the Google Nest Hub Max is a sizable 10-inch smart display with a loud speaker and a camera, and you can get it for $189 ($40 off) — just $10 short of its very best price from Black Friday. It’s available in chalk or charcoal colorways at this price from Adorama, Walmart, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. This deal is similar to the one we mentioned yesterday on the smaller seven-inch Nest Hub, though the Max offers better sound quality, more screen real estate for viewing that excellent Google Photos-powered homescreen, and a camera for video calls. It’s one of the best smart displays you can buy today, especially if you value Google’s software experience and app ecosystem. Read our review.
Staying in the neighborhood of smart home tech while hopping the fence to Amazon’s walled garden of products, the Ring Floodlight Camera Plus is currently on sale for $149 ($30 off) at B&H Photo. The floodlight camera space has many solid options and continues to get more competitive with a recent addition from Google’s Nest. This camera from Ring is a more affordable counterpart to the Ring Floodlight Cam Pro and features 1080p recording with bright LED lights, night vision, and weather resistance (it’s meant to live outside, of course). At this discounted price of $149, it’s a full $100 cheaper than the higher-end Pro model.
Let’s shift to cameras more focused on letting the world see that lovely face of yours. Best Buy has the Elgato Facecam for $30 off on its Deal of the Day. This drops the popular streamer cam down to $170, matching its all-time low price. Speaking of matching, Amazon is currently matching this deal as well. The Facecam lacks a mic but offers a solid 1080p feed at 60fps with tweakable picture settings on Elgato’s Camera Hub app. It’s good enough to get a nod in our guide on the best webcams you can buy, and that $30 discount helps alleviate its biggest downside, its price point.
Whether you’re streaming games or just enjoying them, good audio is one of the key factors that can give you a competitive edge or immerse you further in an expansive world. A headset is often the best solution, especially if you’re living the apartment life but like to hear every little detail without annoying your roommates or family. The wired Xbox stereo headset is a great option that’s much more affordable compared to wireless alternatives, and the 3.5mm cable gives it a no-fuss handling for Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. This extra-cool special edition released for the Xbox’s 20th anniversary is currently $59.99 ($10 off) at Walmart. This headset matches the 20th anniversary controller launched alongside it and features translucent sides with green highlights.
If that styling isn’t your thing, or if you need an even lower price, the standard black version with the same specs and features is just $46.49 (about $14 off) at Target.
More deals, you say? Yes, more deals:
The base model iPad is still on sale for its best price to date of $299 ($30 off) at Walmart. We covered this deal on New Year’s Eve when it was available at Amazon, but you’re forgiven if you started partying a bit early and missed it. Luckily, it’s still available for now.
The 14-ounce model of the Ember temperature-controlled smart mug is $89.99 ($10 off) at Costco.
Sony’s WF-C500 true wireless earbuds are $30 off at Best Buy, bringing them down to a very affordable $69.99. Read our review.
Amazon has the Samsung M7 32-inch 4K smart monitor, which supports TV streaming apps and is compatible with Apple AirPlay and Amazon Alexa for $339.99 ($110 off).
The Insta360 One R 1-inch edition is a formidable alternative to GoPro Hero cameras, with a modular design, and it’s currently $419.99 ($130 off) at Woot. Read our impressions.
Woot also has a bunch of deals on Cooler Master PC components and peripherals, including the MM720 mouse which was our runner-up for the best wired gaming mouse you can buy. The super lightweight mouse is just $29.99 ($20 off).