Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra pre-orders include a $200 gift card, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals
Including discounts on the AirPods Pro, Meta Quest 2 and Roomba robot vacuums.
It's a big day for people who like to spend a small fortune on consumer technology, as Apple opened up pre-orders for its $3,500 Vision Pro headset earlier on Friday. If you're looking to save some cash on a new gadget, though, we're back with another installment of our weekly deal roundup. This week's highlights include a spate of pre-order discounts on Samsung's new Galaxy S24 phones, which come with a bonus gift card and free storage upgrade at Amazon and Best Buy. Beyond that, Google's Pixel 8 phones are up to $200 off, while Apple's AirPods Pro are still at a low of $189. If you're on a tighter budget, a few affordable keyboards, webcams and wireless earbuds we like are also near the lowest prices we've seen. Here are the best tech deals from this week that you can still get today.
Samsung unveiled its new crop of Galaxy S24 smartphones this week, including the 6.2-inch Galaxy S24, the 6.7-inch Galaxy S24+ and the 6.8-inch Galaxy S24 Ultra. As usual, there are a decent number of pre-order discounts for those looking to grab one right away. Samsung is offering a free storage upgrade at just about all retailers, for one, which means you can get a 256GB model for the list price of a 128GB model, a 512GB model for the list price of a 256GB model and so on.
At Amazon, you can get a digital gift card alongside the purchase. For the Galaxy S24, which starts at $800, you can get a $50 card with the checkout code TTYSDPOR7WPL. The $1,000 Galaxy S24+ comes with a $150 card if you use the code MJ93PYFCJHOJ, while the $1,300 Galaxy S24 Ultra can be had with a $200 card through the code FEA7SP3UFDJN.
As of this writing, the only way to get an upfront price drop for one of the new phones is to trade in an older device. If you're willing to do that, you can take up to $750 off the S24+ or S24 Ultra at Samsung and Best Buy. For the standard S24, you can take up to $550 off at Samsung or up to $600 off at Best Buy. (Per usual, that trade-in discount will be lower if you send in an older device.) At Best Buy, you'll also get a gift card: $50 for the S24, $100 for the S24+ or $150 for the S24 Ultra. Samsung is throwing in additional credit, too — $25 for the S24, $75 for the S24+ and $100 for the S24 Ultra — though that can only be applied to other devices on the company's online store. Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T are advertising trade-in deals as well, but those require you to commit to a mobile plan for multiple years to see the full savings.
To be clear, we still have to put the new phones through their paces, so if you're in no rush to buy, it's worth waiting for our full reviews. For now, you can read our hands-on previews of the S24, S24+ and S24 Ultra for a better idea of what to expect. If you're a Samsung diehard who already knows they're going to upgrade, though, these deals should soften the blow a little bit. All three phones will be available on January 31.
If you're not interested in a Galaxy S24, Google's Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are currently the top Android picks in our smartphone buying guide. Both handsets are conveniently discounted this week: The 6.2-inch Pixel 8 is down to $549 at multiple retailers, while the 6.7-inch Pixel 8 Pro is down to $799. Both prices apply to the unlocked 128GB versions of each phone, though higher-capacity models are also on sale. We've seen these discounts pop up multiple times in recent months, but the Pixel 8 deal is $150 off Google's MSRP and close to an all-time low for an unlocked model, while the Pixel 8 Pro deal is $200 off and ties the best price we've tracked.
We gave the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro scores of 90 and 93, respectively, in our review last October. Both phones offer a vivid OLED display, stellar camera quality, solid battery life, speedy-enough performance and clean versions of Android with genuinely useful AI tricks and promised updates through 2030. Between the two, the Pixel 8 Pro has a more advanced camera system, longer battery life and a slightly brighter display with a wider variable refresh rate range. But the Pixel 8 isn't that far off for those who want a phone that's easier to hold with one hand. We'll need to see how the Galaxy S24 family stacks up, but these are good prices if you want to pay less upfront for a high-end Android phone today.
Walmart is offering a $50 Meta Quest Store credit for no extra cost when you buy a Meta Quest 2 for its now-standard MSRP of $249. The retailer's fine print says that you'll need to redeem the credit in VR from Meta's store within 90 days of activating the headset; nevertheless, any bit of bonus cash you can put toward Asgard's Wrath 2, Resident Evil 4, Walkabout Mini Golf or any other VR apps and games is nice to have.
The Quest 2 is the budget pick in our guide to the best VR headsets. If you can pay extra for the newer Meta Quest 3, you still should: That one has better screens and lenses, faster performance and a dash of "mixed reality" functionality. But it also costs $499. For half the price, the Quest 2 remains a good bargain for those who are looking to test the waters with VR and aren't sure if they'll use a headset every day. It's still completely cordless and relatively comfortable, and it still supports a big library of VR experiences. You can still hook it up to a gaming PC and enjoy VR games there as well. We gave the Quest 2 a review score of 89 back in 2020.
Keychron's C3 Pro keyboard is down to $30 on Amazon, which is $7 less than its usual street price and only $2 more than its all-time low. This is an tenkeyless mechanical keyboard we plan to include in an upcoming buying guide. It offers a tremendous typing experience for the price, particularly with the tactile Keychron Brown switches in our test unit. (A model with faster, linear Red switches is also available.) Those switches, combined with a smooth set of stabilizers, make key presses feel full, satisfying and not rattly. While the C3 Pro isn't quiet, its gasket-mounted design and internal foam layer keep it from sounding overly loud and provide a soft landing when you bottom the keys out. You can remap and program individual keys through the QMK and VIA firmware, too, and the whole thing is compatible with both Windows and macOS.
The device still uses ABS keycaps, which are cheaper feeling and less durable than PBT alternatives, and it only supports red backlighting, not full RGB. Its switches aren't hot-swappable, either, so you can't change them easily down the road. For gaming specifically, we'd still recommend the more flexible G.Skill KM250 RGB if you're on a budget. But in terms of raw typing experience, you'd be hard-pressed to find something better than this for $30. If you can pay a bit more, the more featured Keychron V3, another pick from our gaming keyboard guide, is $15 off at $69.
If you need a new webcam on the cheap, the Anker PowerConf C200 2K is worth a look at its current deal price of $48. That's not an all-time low, but it's still $12 off the device's normal going rate. This offer is available at both Amazon and Anker's online store; for the latter, use the code WS7DV8ABBW at checkout.
The PowerConf C200 is the runner-up pick in our webcam buying guide, as it delivers sharp, generally pleasing video quality and solid mic performance in a straightforward design. It also has a built-in privacy cover. Its USB cable is on the shorter side, however, and its cube-like shape can be tricky to adjust once it's perched. It can't tilt side-to-side, for instance. But if you just want an affordable upgrade over your laptop's built-in webcam, it'll be a good value.
The USB-C version of Apple's AirPods Pro is on sale for $189, which is a deal we've seen for much of the past few weeks but still matches the lowest price we've tracked. Apple normally sells the noise-canceling earphones for $249, though they typically go between $200 and $240 at other retailers. The AirPods Pro are the top pick for iPhone users in our wireless earbuds buying guide thanks to their pleasant audio quality, useful active noise cancellation (ANC) and top-notch transparency mode. Most importantly, they offer a host of integrations with other Apple devices, including faster pairing and device switching, hands-free Siri, device tracking via the Find My network and an Adaptive Audio mode. That said, the pair's call quality and six-hour battery life aren't the greatest, and there's no way to manually customize its sound profile. We gave the 2nd-gen AirPods Pro a review score of 88 in 2022. If all you want is the USB-C case, note that you can buy that separately for $99.
If you want a more affordable set of wireless earphones, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 are back down to $55 at Newegg with the checkout code SSDNA539. That's $24 off the pair's usual going rate and a dollar more than its all-time low. This offer also comes with a $5 digital Newegg gift card. The Soundcore Space A40 is the top pick in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds. It offers many of the features found in alternatives that cost twice as much: strong ANC, multi-device connectivity, wireless charging, customizable EQ, a transparency mode, a solid eight hours of battery life and so on. Its earpieces are comfortable, and its warm sound profile should work fine for most. An IPX4 water resistance rating means it should survive most workouts, too. Its mic quality is mediocre, however, and it can't auto-pause when you remove an earbud. Note that this deal is only scheduled to run through Friday.
The 64GB version of Amazon's Fire HD 10 is on sale for $105, which is $75 off the tablet's list price and a new low. If you really can't pay up for an iPad but still want something halfway decent for cheap, this 10.1-inch tablet is likely your best bet. It has a decently sharp and bright 1080p display, it's quick enough for casual streaming, reading and web browsing, and its battery can last more than 10 hours per charge. It's fairly thin (0.3 inches) and light (0.96 pounds), too. It won't perform as well with more involved tasks, though, and nobody would call the plastic chassis premium. Like all Fire tablets, the Fire HD 10 also locks you into Amazon's software ecosystem, so you'll have to deal with lock screen ads, persistent nudges toward Amazon services and a deeply limited app store.
Still, if price is paramount and you use apps like Kindle or Prime Video anyway, the Fire HD 10 should still be a decent value. It should also be worth the upgrade over the 8-inch Fire HD 8, which costs less but has a slower processor and a lower-resolution display. It's worth noting that the 32GB version of the Fire HD 10 is currently available for $95 — and that you can upgrade either device's storage with a microSD card — though that's $15 more than the lowest price we've seen for that model.
The iRobot Roomba 694 is back down to $160 at Amazon, iRobot.com and other retailers. Again, that's a price we've seen before, but it matches the robot vacuum's all-time low. The device's average street price over the last few months is closer to $200. The Roomba 694 is the top pick in our guide to the best budget robot vacuums. It navigates semi-randomly instead of mapping and following set paths, so it'll bonk into furniture around your house, but we still found it to clean effectively across carpet and hard floors. A sturdy build and easy-to-use companion app also help, and iRobot says it can last up to 90 minutes per charge (though that can vary). It won't be the best choice if you live in a larger home, but if you just want a no-frills vacuum at a reasonable price, this is a decent value.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is still down to $329 at Amazon and Best Buy for a 41mm model with a Midnight Sport Loop. A version with a rubber Sport Band is available for the same price. This isn't an all-time low, but it's still a solid $30 or so off the wearable's average street price in recent months. It's also $70 less than buying from Apple directly.
The Series 9 is the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches: It's fast, it supports a wide variety of bands and it has just about all of the essential health tracking and emergency safety features. It can still handle many tasks that'd normally require an iPhone — checking iMessages, using Apple Pay, making Siri requests, etc. — and a new Double Tap gesture makes it easier to interact with the device when your hands are full. We gave the Series 9 a score of 92 in our review last September.
It's worth noting that Apple recently had to disable the watch's blood oxygen monitoring feature due to an ongoing patent dispute. However, that lack of functionality may not apply to models sold by third-party retailers as of this writing. We think this is a good deal either way, but you'll have to check the watch's part number to confirm if it's affected by the ban.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.