The 17 Best Weekend Deals on Phones, Face Masks, and Keyboards
fall has officially arrived. If the change in season is giving you the urge to swap out your old tech and accessories with the new, then you’re in luck. We’ve got plenty of deals on everything from smartphones and headphones to laptops, earbuds, and keyboards. In the market for home office gear? We rounded up several deals on webcams, laptop stands, and monitors earlier this week here.
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Phone and Smartwatch Deals
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
Photograph: SamsungThe Galaxy A52 5G (7/10 WIRED Recommends) isn’t the flashiest of smartphones, but you can count on it to get the job done. It packs a 120-Hz OLED display (just like the new iPhone 13 Pro), 5G connectivity, a MicroSD card slot, and even a headphone jack. It’ll also receive three years of Android updates and four years of security patches. so you can hold on to this one for a while.
If your phone is always at 10 percent or below, look into the Moto G Power (5/10 WIRED Recommends). It has a 5,000-mAh battery that’ll last almost three full days. With a Snapdragon 662 chip, it also runs decently well considering its low price. Naturally, you’ll have to settle for lackluster low-light photos with the camera, a rather dim display, and no NFC for contactless payments. It frequently dips to this price.
Bought the new iPhone 13 and looking for accessories? Belkin’s Magnetic Wireless Charger comes with support for MagSafe, making it super easy to magnetically connect it to your iPhone. It also comes equipped with a 6-foot-long built-in cable and a 20-watt power adapter (to make up for its slow 7.5-watt charging speed).
Outlets can be scarce when you’re on the go, which is why a portable battery is an essential accessory for travel. Nimble’s Champ Lite packs a 5,200m-Ah capacity along with a USB-C and a USB-A port, so you can charge two devices at once.
Fall is an excellent season for outdoor workouts and activities, like trail running, camping, and paddling. The Garmin Instinct Solar (8/10 WIRED Recommends) is WIRED editor Adrienne So’s favorite tracker. It has built-in GPS that’s fairly accurate against online maps and a pulse oximeter to track blood-oxygen levels while you sleep. And it can juice back up with the power of the sun.
The Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 3 is one of the few smartwatches out there that will receive Google’s Wear OS 3 upgrade next year. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s latest Wear 4100+ processor, so it performs smoothly. You’ll also get almost two full days of battery life, thanks to Mobvoi’s innovative dual-layer screen, plus sleep tracking.
Laptop and Keyboard Deals
MacBook Air with M1
Photograph: AppleThe MacBook Air is regularly on sale for $900, so while this additional $50 discount isn’t life-changing, it’s rare. On the outside, the MacBook Air with M1 (9/10 WIRED Recommends) has a redesigned keyboard but looks pretty much like its predecessors. On the inside, you get excellent performance with Apple’s own silicon, a quiet, fanless build, and long battery life. Our Best MacBooks guide has more details.
Keyboard cases on tablets can feel needlessly bulky, so just use a Bluetooth keyboard instead. The Logitech K380 can connect to three devices and has the ability to quickly switch between them. It’s lightweight, making it ideal to travel with, and it comes in a fun pink color.
With responsive, quick, and tactile switches, the Roccat Vulcan 121 is a great option for gamers looking to upgrade their mechanical keyboard. It’s super loud, but in a way, that’s more satisfying than it is annoying.
If you’re fine without a number pad or arrow keys, then the Razer Huntsman Mini could be a great addition to your gaming setup. This 60 percent keyboard is small, so you’ll have room for other accessories on your desk, and its keys feel just as responsive as those on a full-size keyboard. It also plays nice with Razer’s keycap kits if you want to switch up the keyboard’s style.
Home and Audio Deals
Under Armor True Wireless Flash X
Photograph: JBL Under sArmourThese second-generation buds from JBL and Under Armour received an honorable mention on our roundup of Best Wireless Earbuds. They’re on the pricey side, but for the money, you get Bluetooth 5.0, up to 10 hours of battery life, and physical buttons built into the Under Armour logos on each bud (for those who find touch controls to be annoying).
They’re still expensive even on sale, but these earbuds from Sennheiser come with a few upgrades over their predecessor. In addition to solid noise canceling, you no longer have to worry about a glitch that depletes the battery when they’re not in use. They deliver on great sound quality too (as they should for that price).
Want to change up your home office routine? A standing desk might help. We like the FlexiSpot EN1. It rises from 28 to 48 inches and allows you to set three height presets to quickly switch between. We’ve rounded up more deals on work-from-home gear here.
This 4K streaming stick is great for Amazon loyalists, as its menus mainly push Amazon Prime video content and video purchases from Amazon’s store. But you do also have the option to use third-party streaming apps like Hulu and Netflix. Amazon’s streaming stick also comes with an Alexa-enabled remote so you can navigate using voice commands.
The Happy Planner
Photograph: The Happy PlannerThis one has been dubbed “the nearly perfect planner” in our roundup of our Favorite Paper Planners. It’s super customizable, with a variety of size options, the ability to choose between horizontal or vertical layouts, and extension packs. As a cute extra touch, you’ll also find phrases and quotes in the divider tabs.
These have dipped even lower earlier this summer, but this is still a great price on a 60-pack of KN95 face masks. They’re especially useful for indoor spaces, like grocery stores, salons, school events, or wherever you’ll be that requires spending long periods of time. They’re disposable, but if you air them out, you can use them up to three times.
Required to wear a face mask all day? Timbuk2’s Reusable Face Mask isn’t like a traditional mask that loops behind your ears. Instead, it ties around your head, which helps take the pressure off your ears. It’s also made out of jersey cotton and has a built-in pocket for a filter.
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