Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro is $250 off right now

If you’ve already decided you want to go big on your next laptop, consider the 16-inch MacBook Pro. We gave it a score of 92 in our review, and we didn’t find too much to knock it for. However, it’s pretty pricey with its $2,499 starting price. But right now you can pick it up for $250 less at Amazon as the online retailer has knocked the price of the 512GB version down to $2,249. That’s the best price we’ve seen it, and you can get the discount on their the silver or space gray model.

Buy 16-inch MacBook Pro at Amazon – $2,249

Unlike many of Apple’s other notebooks, the 16-inch MacBook Pro was redesigned a bit to make it more of a power user’s machine. It has a 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display that’s only interrupted by a top notch that houses the 1080p webcam. The TouchBar is gone but Apple’s Magic Keyboard remains a dream to type on, and the trackpad is wonderful to use as well. But arguably most importantly, the sides of the MacBook Pro now have a bunch of ports that have been missing from the notebook for a long time. It has three Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections, a full-sized HDMI port, and SD card reader, a headphone jack and a MagSafe power connector — all of that’s to say that you won’t be living as much of the dongle life as you might have been before, although you might still need a USB-A adapter every now and then.

The base model that’s on sale runs on Apple’s M1 Pro chipset, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and it comes in at fairly hefty 4.7 pounds. While it’s not the most portable machine (we recommend going for the 14-inch version if that’s a priority for you), it’s certainly a powerhouse when it comes to performance. In our benchmark testing, the Pro blew most comparable Windows machines out of the water and did so while maintaining a strong battery life. The 16-inch Pro lasted about 16.5 hours during our battery tests, and it’s worth noting that we didn’t see a performance dip while running on battery power alone.

Ultimately, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is best for audio and video producers or others in creative fields who want the maximum amount of screen space possible along with some of the best performance you’ll find on a laptop today. Yes, it remains pricey even when on sale, but it’s a much better buy when you can grab it for $250 less than usual.

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The best Amazon Prime Day monitor deals from Samsung, BenQ, LG and others

Amazon Prime Day offers a great opportunity to upgrade your work-from-home setup. You’ve probably been using it a lot recently and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, but it can get expensive to upgrade the tools you may have been using …

Amazon’s Blink Mini two-pack is on sale for only $30 for Prime Day

Amazon has discounted most of its Blink wireless security cameras for Prime Day this year, but one of the best deals is on the budget-friendly, wired version of the camera. You can pick up a two-pack of Blink Minis for only $30 right now, which is more than half off the original rate. Along with that, you can grab a Blink Indoor kit for as low as $55, an Outdoor kit for only $60 and a Blink Video Doorbell for $35.

Buy Blink Mini (2 pack) at Amazon – $30Buy Blink Indoor at Amazon – $55Buy Blink Outdoor at Amazon – $60Buy Blink Video Doorbell at Amazon – $35Shop Blink deals at Amazon

If you’re on the fence about choosing the Blink system for your home, giving a Blink Mini a try is a great place to start. Not only are they the most affordable of the bunch, but they also include most of the features the standard Indoor and Outdoor cameras have. The biggest drawback is that the Minis are wired, so you’ll have to place them inside and need an outlet. Otherwise, they act much the same as the regular Blink cameras do, recording 1080p video, sending you motion alerts and supporting two-way talk. The Minis also have infrared night vision for clearer nighttime footage, plus Alexa support.

For those that already have Blink cameras around their home, Prime Day offers the chance to pick up a couple more at the best prices possible. Both the Indoor and Outdoor cameras have all of the features that the Blink Mini does, plus they’re completely wireless. That makes it much easier to place them anywhere around your home, especially if you have the right mounting accessories to pair with them. Both versions run on AA batteries that will last up to two years before they need replacing, and the Outdoor models are weather-resistant, too.

Amazon recently expanded the Blink system to include a Video Doorbell, which is essentially a cheaper version of a Ring doorbell. Blink’s has a slimmer profile and can be installed either wired into your doorbell’s hardware or wirelessly. Just like the cameras, the Video Doorbell records in 1080p, will send you motion alerts and lets you speak to people at your front door using its two-way audio feature.

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Anker’s Eufy robot vacuums are up to 48 percent off for Prime Day

There are no shortage of robot vacuum deals for Prime Day, but some of the most affordable devices lie in Anker’s Eufy family. A number of those robo-vacs are on sale for Amazon’s shopping event, with one of our favorites being 48 percent off. You can pick up the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max is down to inly $130 right now, or nearly half off its original price. Another solid pick, the Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid, is $270 off and down to $380, which is the best price we’ve seen it.

Buy Eufy RoboVac 11S Max at Amazon – $130Buy Eufy RoboVac X8 Hybrid at Amazon – $380Shop Eufy deals at Amazon

The 11S Max is actually a stronger version of the robot vacuum that made it into our budget robot vacuum guide. The standard 11S has 1300Pa of suction power, while the Max has 2000Pa, so you’re getting a device that should do an even better job of sucking up dirt and debris. Otherwise, the 11S Max is basically the same as the standard model: at only 2.85-inches tall, it’s slim enough to get underneath some furniture and it’ll return to its base when it needs a recharge. It’s not a WiFi-connected robot vacuum, which means you can’t control it from your smartphone. However, it comes with a handy remote that has options for most of the big things you’d want to do with a robo-vac like change cleaning modes, set schedules and more.

While the 11S Max is probably best for those who aren’t sure how much they’ll use a robot vacuum, the X8 Hybrid is for those who know a machine like this will fill a void in their home. It’s a vacuum-and-mop hybrid device that comes with a 250-milliliter water tank that you can fill when you want to run a mopping job. As a vacuum, though, it’s pretty powerful and we appreciated its accurate home-mapping skills, four different cleaning modes and its “tap and go” feature, which lets you send the machine to a specific spot in your home to clean.

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Amazon Prime Day deals knock Eero 6 WiFi systems down to record-low prices

If you’re looking for a way to upgrade your home’s WiFi, Amazon’s Eero 6 routers are a good option. Not only are there are a number of WiFi 6 options to choose from, but all of them have been discounted for Prime Day. The Eero 6 is on sale starting at $71, while the Eero Pro 6 starts at $148 for the two-day shopping event. The company’s newest editions, the Eero Pro 6E and the Eero 6+, are available for $194 and $90, respectively.

Buy Eero 6 at Amazon starting at $71Buy Eero Pro 6 at Amazon starting at $148Buy Eero Pro 6E at Amazon starting at $194Buy Eero 6+ at Amazon starting at $90Shop Eero 6 deals at Amazon

Most people will be best served by either the Eero 6 or Pro 6 systems. The former can cover up to 1,500 square feet with just one node, and you can add additional routers into the mix to expand coverage for larger homes. It’s a dual-band system that can reach speeds up to 900Mbps, and each router has two Ethernet ports built in. For Gigabit internet, the tri-band Eero Pro 6 is your best bet as it supports that level of speed, plus one router can cover up to 2,000 square feet.

Amazon came out with both the Eero Pro 6E and the 6+ earlier this year, but they’re very different systems. The Pro 6E is the best WiFi 6 system you can get from Amazon right now, and it gives you access to the 6GHz band to reach speeds up to 1.3Gbps. Each node covers up to 2,000 square feet, and you’ll be able to connect up to 100 devices at once. The Eero 6+ sits in the middle of the standard Eero 6 and the Pro 6 systems. The dual-band router will give you speeds up to 1Gbps, coverage for up to 1,500 square feet and a device cap of 75. Plus, it has access to a 160MHz radio channel, which should provide faster wireless speeds.

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Samsung’s 1TB T7 Shield SSD drops to $100 for Prime Day

The latest portable drive to be added to Samsung’s T7 family is cheaper than ever for Amazon Prime Day. The new T7 Shield in 1TB is down to a new record low of $100, which is $60 off its normal price. The 2TB model is $90 off and down to only $200, too. This SSD is only a few months old as Samsung released it in April, so now’s a great opportunity to grab it while you can pick it up at a discount.

Buy T7 Shield (1TB) at Amazon – $100Buy T7 Shield (2TB) at Amazon – $200

The T7 Shield is essentially a tougher version of the standard T7. It has a rubberized exterior that surrounds its aluminum body, giving it extra durability and drop protection. Samsung claims the SSD can easily survive p to 9.8-foot drops, plus it has an IP65 rating for water- and dust-resistance. This might sound like overkill for a device that you may intend to keep in your backpack or on your desk at home, but it’ll provide extra peace of mind if you ever need to travel with the SSD and work with it in the go.

When it comes to performance, the T7 Shield supports read/write speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s and 1,000 MB/s, respectively, and it works with most devices including Macs, PCs, Android devices, game consoles and more. That’s due in part to the fact that the drive comes with both USB-C to C and USB-C to A cables, allowing you to connect it to many different types of gadgets. We also appreciate that it supports AES 256-bit hardware encryption as well.

Get the latest Amazon Prime Day offers by following @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribing to the Engadget Deals newsletter.

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Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale for $199 right now

A smart thermostat can help you save on energy costs while also giving you more control over your home’s environment. While they can be on the expensive side, both of Google’s main smart thermostats are on sale for Prime Day. The Nest Learning Thermostat has dropped to $199 while the standard Nest Thermostat is on sale for $90. Those aren’t record-low prices but they’re pretty close, making now a good opportunity to add one to your smart home ecosystem.

Buy Nest Learning Thermostat at Amazon – $199Buy Nest Thermostat at Amazon – $90

The Nest Learning Thermostat is the most advanced model that Google makes. It’s an Energy Star-certified device that monitors energy usage in your home while learning your preferences and building temperature schedules around your routines. After a bit of use, the device will learn when you like to keep your home cooler or warmer and automatically adjust the temperature to accommodate that. It also works with sensors that you can place around your home, if you prefer to keep certain rooms at specific temperatures. While a lot of the Nest Learning Thermostats features are designed to automate your home’s environmental changes, you can always tweak things yourself via the Nest mobile app, too.

If you’re on a tighter budget, the standard Nest Thermostat may be a better option. Unlike the Learning model, it doesn’t work with temperature sensors and it has a slightly different design. You’ll get a higher-quality display on the more expensive model, but the display on the regular version is just as usable. Otherwise, the standard smart thermostat is also Energy Star-certified and it lets you program your home’s temperature, set schedules and more.

A bunch of other Google IoT devices have been discounted for Prime Day, too. You can pick up the Nest Doorbell Battery for only $120, or the Nest Cam Battery for $200. These are some of Google’s newest smart home devices and they both run on rechargeable batteries, so there are no wires to fuss with.

Buy Nest Doorbell Battery at Amazon – $120Buy Nest Cam Battery at Amazon – $200

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