It’s been a long road, everyone, but we’ve almost made it to the end of the holiday shopping season. We survived Black Friday andCyber Monday, watched and tracked prices for hundreds of gadgets, and muddled through confusing bundle promotions, insane trade-in deals that made thebest Android smartwatchpotentially free, and the product review tidal wave known as Techtober. We’re in the home stretch, and that’s giving us back the best of Black Friday’s deals alongside new lowest-ever prices on products that didn’t get enough love last month, like the Google Pixel Watch 2 andSamsung Galaxy S23.
Best Buy’s back with yet another 3-Day Sale this weekend, but this is the last one you’ll be able to shop before Best Buy’s Christmas-guaranteed free shipping deadline ends. For items using Best Buy’s free shipping, you have to order by 10:30 AM Central Time on December 21 to ensure it arrives by Christmas Eve. For same-day delivery, Best Buy’s cutoff will be 12 PM local time Christmas Eve, and for Buy Online, Pickup In-Store, you’ll have to order it before 5 PM local time on December 24. But you wouldn’t be so mean as to make a delivery driver rush around town all afternoon and evening Christmas Eve, would you??
Another reason to shop this weekend: chances are next weekend, most of these deals will have ended. Usually, around December 20-22, deals start expiring because most people have shopped, and those who are left are usually desperate enough to pay full price. So, don’t get stuck paying more because you forgot like I almost did! Make your wishlists and check prices twice, so you can give sweet tech to friends who’ve been naughty or nice.
Phone deals
Samsung Galaxy S23
I use and adore my Galaxy S23, because while it is the “baby” of the series, it’s wonderfully compact and lightweight. The problem has been that the S23’s deals have always been an afterthought compared to the S23+ and S23 Ultra. Today, however, the S23 has a better deal than its big siblings and tops its Black Friday deals last month.
Google Pixel 8
The “normal” Pixel 8 might get lost in the shadow of the Pixel 8 Pro when you’re shopping online, but in everyday life, the Pixel 8 is the perfect size and price for giving or getting as a Christmas present. At 6.2 inches, it’s a large enough screen for gaming and videos but small enough to comfortably use one-handed. Just be mindful that signal strength will be weaker than Qualcomm-powered phones.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
If you’re willing to supersize, the Google Pixel 8 Pro offers one of the best camera experiences on a smartphone today. And after two years of curved, slippery edges, the 8 Pro finally gave us a flat screen that’s comfortable and easy to grip!
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
If you need a dependable phone to give your kid this Christmas — or your stubborn father who refuses to replace that LG from 2017 — the Galaxy A54 is one of the best phones you can buy under $400 today. It features almost all of the same software features as the Galaxy S line, and while the cameras are just okay, the battery and screen more than make up for it.
We’d hoped the Google Pixel 7a deal would stick around until Christmas, but it was quite popular during Black Friday/Cyber Monday and sold out of its promotional supply. At least the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are here to get you into a swanky Pixel and get you addicted to Call screening, Wait for Me, and Pixel Recorder. (Google’s impeccable call screening is what I miss most whenever I’m on a Galaxy.) And if you need a budget phone that won’t get refused or returned for being too expensive, the Galaxy A54 will serve your loved ones admirably.
Tablet deals
Apple iPad Mini (6th Gen, 2021)
If you’re giving someone a tablet this holiday season, there are few compact tablets with a screen as good as the iPad Mini. Apple’s strict guidelines for tablet app design also make for an excellent large-screen experience.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
I understand the urge to grab a cheap Fire tablet for your kid and call it a day, but I beg you to reconsider. Google Play has to be sideloaded on Fire tablets, and updates can (and have) broken it before, so grab the Galaxy Tab A8 instead. This affordable tablet offers a better screen, better performance, and Google Play straight out of the box.
Tablet deals have gotten a little more sparse as we approach December 25, but that’s okay; we’ve still got some great gift ideas for those seeking large-screen couch companions. We may be an Android site, but even we can’t denyhow good the iPad Mini is — so long as you grab it on sale. The Galaxy Tab A8 has been my inexpensive tablet suggestion to anyone who’s asked all year, and with it still having the same deal pricing as Black Friday, it’s still the one to buy for your kids. Just remember toget that Tab A8 a sturdy case!
Chromebook deals
Acer Chromebook Spin 714 (2023)
If you want a little more oomph in your laptop, the Acer Spin 714 packs an Intel Core i5 to better handle multitasking and Linux apps. It even comes with a laptop sleeve so you can keep it clean and crack-free as you ferry it from home to work — in my case, from the couch to the sunroom/office.
I’ve waxed poetic on the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 time and time again, especially when its down to these prices, but the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus is one of the best Chromebook deals of the year. Less than three months old, this laptop is 30% while featuring the exclusive Chromebook Pus features (like Photoshop for Web compatibility), solid build quality and performance we expect of Lenovo, and ten years of updates ahead of it.
Audio deals
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
The best headphones Bose has ever made are at their best price yet, and I warn you, once you put these on, you’ll never want to take them off again. I practically live in mine now — though part of that is needing the ANC to block out the toddler upstairs — and the automatic controls and multipoint audio have almost felt like magic with how well they work.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
The Ultra may steal the spotlight with fancy on-head detection and a more plush design, but unless you have to be bleeding edge or can’t stand having that power/pairing toggle in the middle of the right ear, the normal QuietComfort is an absolute steal at $250. I’d steer you to Bose’s website for the exclusive Moonstone Blue, but since that’s completely sold out, Cypress Green is the way to go.
Google Pixel Buds Pro
Every time I turn around, it seems like another color of the Pixel Buds Pro is selling out, and that’s a testament to how great these earbuds are priced this holiday season. In fact, the bolder Bay blue is so back ordered Best Buy isn’t even showing it on its website anymore. These buds are exceedingly comfy, easy to pair, and get Feature Drops every so often just like Pixel phones.
Bose’s deals are exemplary, considering both headphones only arrived in October, and while I love my Ultras to death, the regular Bose QuietComfort is all the vast majority of you will need. As for the Google Pixel Buds Pro, how often they’ve sold out over the last month and a half says everything about whether they’re worth buying, whether you have a Pixel phone or not. It’s a shame you’ve missed out on the Bay blue, but the Porcelain still looks swanky with its penguin vibes.
Wearable deals
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6
Within $10 of its Black Friday price, the Galaxy Watch 6 is the clear winner among smartwatch deals this holiday season. Having a better screen and better battery life than the Pixel Watch 2, the Galaxy Watch 6 makes a better gift as it doesn’t require a Fitbit subscription and can use any 20mm band on the market. (Which would make a useful stocking stuffer to go with it!)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic
If you thought the normal Galaxy Watch 6 was too boring, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic brings back the beloved rotating bezel that skipped the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, as well as bumping the battery from 1.5 days to 3 days.
Google Pixel Watch 2
The only smartwatchnoton sale during Cyber Monday is finally seeing a deal! $50 off may seem like small potatoes next to the deals we’ve been seeing on Galaxy Watches over the last month, but we’ll take any discount we can on Google’s vision of Wear OS. And unlike Amazon, you can still buy this beautiful Bay/Silver configuration and have it arrive in time for Christmas.
It’s nice to see the Pixel Watch 2 get some kind of discount after it sat there at list price for the entirety of November, and if you dig Google’s style, now is absolutely the time to buy. But this deal only gets the Pixel Watch 2 down to the Galaxy Watch 6’s list price, while the Galaxy Watch 6 is $60 lower with its own deal, complicating the decision between the two. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic for $330 is nothing to sneeze at, either, though if you currently own some kind of old smartwatch, you might be better off going to Samsung.com and using the $50 “Any smartwatch, any condition” trade-in.
Smart home deals
Google Nest Hub 2nd Generation
If you’re looking for a Google Assistant-powered device for your mom’s kitchen, your dad’s office, or your bedroom for the weirdly good sleep tracking, the Nest Hub is your best (and honestly only) option. We’ve often seen the Charcoal and Chalk colorways at this price, but the Mist is getting it, too, this weekend. If only we could get a matching deal on the Nest Audio…
Philips Hue 60W A19 Smart LED Starter Kit
This is by no means an inexpensive kit, but when it comes to smart lighting, no one else quite matches the polish and sheer variety of Philips Hue. This kit is perfect for nudging your parents into smart lighting as you get enough bulbs for one or two rooms and a Hue dimmer switch to put on the wall so that they don’t have to pull out the app every time they leave or enter the room.
Amazon Echo Pop
The Echo Pop is a sweet little speaker that’s down to stocking stuffer pricing. Because of that low price, you may give yourself (or one of your kids) the gift of stereo sound in the bedroom, office, or living room for less than the price of a single full-size Echo or Nest Audio. It comes in better colors, too.
Arlo Pro 4 Spotlight Camera Security Bundle
The Arlo Security Bundle rides again! This bundle can cover your whole yard and never leave you in the dark, thanks to the spare batteries and charging dock. Arlo’s also got its latest video doorbell on sale to complete your setup.
We’re officially nine days to Christmas, and while it’s a little late to deck the home with smart home gadgets — fa la la la la, la la la la — you’re able to still grab some to gift to family or friends. Just remember before giving a smart speaker or hub to try asking which ecosystem the house in question uses. An Echo Pop is an adorable, affordable gift, but I live in a Google Home household, so it wouldn’t be a useful gift for me.
If you still haven’t decided what to give your special someone next week, ourBest of 2023 awardscan steer you towards the best of the best for everyone on your wishlist.
