Both the ad-free and ad-supported HBO Max plans are currently on sale. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Whether it’s exclusives like the new Harry Potter reunion special, Return to Hogwarts, or access to new films like The Matrix Resurrections, an HBO Max subscription means you can watch some of today’s most popular titles from the comfort and safety of your home. Unfortunately, we rarely see deals on the popular streaming service — that is, until today.
Right now, HBO Max is offering 20 percent off both its ad-supported and ad-free monthly subscription plans, which throughout 2021 gave subscribers limited-time access to movies like Dune the same day they hit theaters. And while Warner Bros. has stated it doesn’t intend to keep simultaneously releasing movies in theaters and on HBO Max this year, it will release six exclusives on HBO Max that won’t make it to theaters, including House Party, Father of the Bride, Kimi, The Fallout, Scoob: Holiday Haunt, and Moonshot. The subscription also gives you access to HBO Max exclusives and original shows like Succession, Euphoria, Doom Patrol, and more.
Now until January 25th at 11:59PM PT, HBO Max is dropping the price of its ad-free subscription plan from $14.99 a month to $11.99 a month. That equates to about $36 in savings over the span of one year, which is like getting two months of the ad-free plan for free. Alternatively, you can opt into the $9.99-a-month, ad-supported tier for $7.99 a month, saving yourself about $24. The promotion is available to both new and lapsed subscribers.
After making its debut at CES 2022 just last week, deals on Samsung’s new Galaxy S21 Fan Edition (FE) smartphone are already here. If you’d like a lower-cost, full-featured alternative to Samsung’s more expensive Galaxy S21, the new phone is worth a look, especially given you can get a $100 Amazon gift card right now when you purchase the unlocked, 128GB configuration from Amazon for $699.99, its typical retail price.
As The Verge’s Allison Johnson noted in her first impressions of the phone, this edition shares many features with the more expensive Galaxy S21. This includes a 1080p OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 888 chipset, 5G support, 25W wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and an IP68 weather-resistance rating. The Galaxy S21 offers a higher-res telephoto camera and more RAM, though interestingly, the S21 FE boasts a greater battery capacity.
Of course, if you’d prefer the latest (and maybe greatest?), it might be worth waiting for the Samsung Galaxy S22, which should arrive sometime this year. Samsung typically launches new lineups in February; however, given ongoing supply chain issues and the global chip shortage, it’s unclear if that will happen. Read our review.
For those of you with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, you can currently pick up the $59.99 Nintendo Entertainment System Controllers for just $34.99 — one of their lowest prices ever — from Nintendo. This deal lasts through 11:59PM PT on February 2nd, and the price includes two wireless controllers, which work with all Nintendo Switch models but require a standard Switch console or the OLED edition in order to charge.
As noted in our review, these are wireless recreations of the original NES gamepad that work perfectly with classic Switch Online NES games. In fact, they work so well, we believe they’re the best way to access classic Nintendo titles. However, given they only offer two face buttons, they don’t work well with other modern games. Thus, if you require more flexible gamepads with extra buttons that work with multiple platforms, this controller may not be the best pick. Otherwise, this deal is a great one, definitely worth taking a look at.
The Super Bowl season is nearly upon us, and already we’re starting to see some great TV deals trickling in. For those looking for a smaller 4K TV, the 43-inch configuration of the new Omni Fire TV is available at a new all-time low at Amazon. Typically $409.99, the retailer is selling it right now for $284.99, which is $15 less than what we saw it go for on Black Friday. The 4K TV works with Alexa, boasts a low input lag and support for two-way video calling, and offers access to major streaming services like Netflix without extra hardware.
Other configurations are on sale for up to $200 off, too, so fans of larger TVs can also save on Amazon. However, it’s important to note only the 65-inch and 75-inch models include support for Dolby Vision HDR. If that’s a feature you’d like, or you’d just prefer a larger TV, the 65-inch is also available for $599.99 instead of $829.99, just $1 shy of its lowest price to date.
One of the smallest smart displays on the market, Lenovo’s new Smart Clock 2 incorporates a touchscreen display with a form factor that’s ideally suited for your bedside table. At the same time, it also offers full Google Assistant capabilities. What we particularly liked, however, is the separate wireless charging dock, which provides up to 10 watts of power, a USB Type-A port for your peripherals, and a built-in night light. Normally $89.99, Best Buy is currently selling both the smart clock and its wireless charging dock for just $69.99, the typical retail price for the smart clock without the wireless dock. Read our review.
You can save even more today with these great deals:
You can save $50 today on the new Samsung 980 Pro 1TB SSD, which comes with a built-in heatsink. Regularly $249.99, Amazon is selling it for $199.99, which is just $9 more than its best price ever.
Whether you’re a streamer or you’re simply looking for a webcam that’s better than your laptop’s for Zoom calls, Razer’s Kiyo is a solid pick. Right now, the webcam — which features a built-in ring light and supports 1080p resolution at 30 frames per second or 720p resolution at 60 frames per second — is selling for $61.23 (nearly $40 off) at Amazon, its second-best price to date.
If you’re into tabletop gaming, the digital version of Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics for the Nintendo Switch is currently on sale at Amazon for $27.99, almost matching its best price to date.
This 60W Anker USB-C charger comes with both a USB-C PowerIQ 3.0 port and a USB-A port equipped with PowerIQ 2.0. Right now, it’s on sale at Amazon for $26.34 instead of $39.99, nearly half off the typical list price.