Today’s best deals: Apple Watches, iPads, “buy 2, get 1 free” game sales, and more
Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)
It's time for another Dealmaster! Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a number of lower-than-usual prices on various Apple devices. The 40 mm Apple Watch SE, for instance, is available for $229 at Amazon and Walmart as of this writing. That's the best price we've seen since Black Friday and only $10 more than the all-time lowest price we've tracked. It's the same situation with the bigger 44 mm model, which is available for $259. The higher-end Apple Watch Series 7, meanwhile, is down to its lowest price to date: the 41 mm model is currently on sale for $329, while the 45 mm model is down to $359.
To be clear, we've seen multiple discounts for both of these watches in recent months, and the two have generally retailed for less than Apple's MSRPs at Amazon, Walmart, and a few other online stores since they launched. It's almost inevitable that Apple will refresh one or both devices by the end of the year, too. But if you own an iPhone and want a wearable to pair with it right now, the Series 7 is still the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches, and the SE remains a great alternative for those on a tighter budget. As we've noted before, both devices deliver a strong build quality, robust software, and good-enough activity tracking for most. Between the two, the Series 7 has a bigger display that stays active when you put your wrist down, faster charging speeds, and more advanced health-tracking tools like ECG functionality and blood-oxygen monitoring. If you can overlook those features-the lack of an always-on display likely being the most notable-the SE can do most of the same things, albeit slightly slower, for a much lower price. Either way, note that not all colorways for each watch are on sale between the two retailers.
Besides the Apple Watch, we also have a few iPad discounts. The 256GB Space Gray model of the entry-level, 10.2-inch iPad is down to a new low of $429, while versions of the latest 10.9-inch iPad Air and 8.3-inch iPad Mini with the same storage capacity are available for lows of $679 and $600, respectively. These devices aren't especially cheap, but we've reviewed all three positively. In short, the base iPad is likely the best value for most, as it still offers an altogether competent way into iPadOS for the lowest price possible. The recently released iPad Air is a fairly noticeable step up in terms of performance, however, and its design is far more modern, with a bigger and brighter display, a USB-C port, wider accessory support, and better cameras. The iPad Mini, meanwhile, is built like a shrunken-down iPad Air, though its processor is a bit slower. If you prefer a smaller design, though, it's the only iPad that fits the bill. Both the 10.2-inch iPad and iPad Mini launched in September 2021, while the iPad Air arrived last month.
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