Amazon Prime Day deals knock the Kindle Paperwhite down to a new low of $95

If you’ve been holding out for a new e-reader at a great price, Amazon Prime Day has delivered. The latest Kindle Paperwhite is on sale for $95 right now, which is the cheapest we’ve seen it since it launched last year. It’s arguably the best e-reader for most people, but you have options as all of Amazon’s other Kindles have been discounted, too. You can pick up the standard Kindle for only $45, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition for $130 or the Kindle Oasis for $175.

Buy Kindle Paperwhite at Amazon – $95Shop Kindle deals at AmazonShop Kindle accessories at Amazon

Amazon updated the Kindle Paperwhite and introduced the Signature model last fall, and even though the e-reader doesn’t look too different from previous models, it has some important upgrades. The screen is slightly larger at 6.8-inches, and it has 17 front LEDs for better illumination. You can even adjust the warmth of the lights now, too, if you prefer to have cooler or warmer light at different times of the day. The design still has an IPX8 waterproof rating but it also now has a USB-C port for charging, which is a much-needed update. As for battery life, you can expect weeks of use before you’ll need to power up the e-reader again.

The new Signature Edition is a slightly more advanced Paperwhite. It has the same sized screen and 17 front lights, but you’ll get 32GB of storage instead of 8GB, along with wireless charging and auto-adjusting light capabilities. Out of those features, the extra storage and auto-adjusting lights are likely the most practical: those who have huge digital libraries could use the additional storage, and lights that automatically change depending on your environment almost make the e-reader more tablet-like. We gave the Signature Edition a score of 97, calling it the best e-reader, period.

The remaining two Kindles are on opposite ends of the price spectrum. The standard Kindle is the most basic and budget-friendly, and it features a 6-inch display, four front lights and a weeks-long battery life. The Kindle Oasis, on the other hand, has an ergonomic design, a 7-inch screen, 25 front LEDs, page-turn buttons, automatically rotating pages and more.

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Amazon Prime Day deals include half off the Fire HD 10 tablet

Amazon’s Fire tablets make great couch devices or gadgets to give to your kids when you don’t want them messing with your more expensive tech. They’re usually pretty affordable, but Amazon Prime Day brings the opportunity to grab any of Amazon’s tablets at all-time-low prices. Both the Fire HD 10 and Fire HD 8 tablets are half off and down to $75 and $45, respectively, while the 2019 Fire 7 tablet is only $30 for Prime Day. On top of that, all of the Kids Pro versions of the slabs are also on sale, so you can pick one up for as low as $50.

Buy Fire HD 10 at Amazon – $75Buy Fire HD 8 at Amazon – $45Shop Fire tablet deals at Amazon

You’ll get the best bang for your buck if you spring for the Fire HD 10. It’s the most powerful of Amazon’s tablets, running on a 2.0 GHz oct-core processor, 3GB of RAM and at least 32GB of storage. It has a 10.1-inch 1080p display, Dolby Atmos support and a USB-C port for charging. Amazon estimates you’ll get up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it takes roughly four hours to charge the device up from nothing. The Fire HD 10 also supports Show Mode, which essentially lets you turn the thing into a makeshift Echo Show smart display. If you have a stand or case that props the tablet up, you could use it in Show Mode to display information like the weather, calendar events, news stories and more.

But the best option under $50 this Prime Day is the Fire HD 8. We gave the tablet a score of 81 for its refined design, decent performance, hands-free Alexa capabilities and good battery life. While the display isn’t as high quality as the HD 10’s, and it won’t feel as zippy as the larger slab, the Fire HD 8 is a solid option if you just want a basic tablet at a great price.

If you’re thinking about buying a Fire tablet for your kids, maybe as a first device of theirs, consider getting one of the Fire Kids Pro devices. They’re basically the same as the standard Fire tablets, but they come with additional parental controls, a customizable home screen theme, a two-year warranty, a protective case and a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids+. The latter is the company’s service that provides child-friendly, ad-free games, books, videos and other content that kids can access from their tablets.

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Apple Watch Series 7 hits new all-time low of $279 for Prime Day

Apple’s most powerful smartwatch right now has dropped to the best price we’ve seen it. You can pick up the Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS only) for only $279, which is more than $100 off its normal price and $20 cheaper than we saw it during a sale at the start of June. GPS + Cellular models are also on sale starting at $379. While it is worth noting that we could see the next generation wearable, the Series 8, debut in September, this deal is the best around right now if you can’t wait until then to get a new smartwatch.

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While Apple didn’t change too much when going from the Series 6 to the Series 7, it did make a couple of meaningful updates. First and foremost, the Series 7’s display is larger, making it easier to see text and graphics, plus you can use the on-screen keyboard to type out messages, too. In addition to that, the Series 7 has new overnight respiratory tracking and faster charging. The former is an interesting feature of the smartwatch’s sleep tracking capabilities, although the device still lags behind competitors when it comes to the amount of data it tracks during sleep. Speedier charging is quite handy, as you’ll get 10 percent power in just 10 minutes of charging.

Otherwise, the Series 7 has all of the same features you’ll find on the Series 6. It tracks all-day heart rate and activity, plus it includes a built-in GPS, ECG tool, blood oxygen sensor, onboard music space and more. It can be used with Apple Pay to make NFC purchases and it supports features like fall detection and Emergency SOS. Not only is the Series 7 our current favorite smartwatch, but it’s the most comprehensive Watch that Apple has ever made — so it’s a no-brainer purchase when you can pick it up for $279. 

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Amazon’s Fire TV Stick Lite drops to only $12 for Prime Day

Amazon has discounted all of its Fire TV devices for Prime Day this year, and the standout is the Fire TV Stick Lite for only $12. That’s $18 off its normal price and the cheapest we’ve ever seen it. That’s not surprising either, consider it’s the most basic of Amazon’s streaming dongles. But all of the more powerful models are less than usual, too. You can pick up the Fire TV Stick for $17, the Fire TV Stick 4K for $25, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $35 and the Fire TV Cube for only $60.

Buy Fire TV Stick Lite at Amazon – $12Shop Fire TV deals at Amazon

The Fire TV Stick Lite provides the most essential streaming technology, supporting 1080p content and voice commands with the basic remote that comes with it. You won’t be able to control your TV with the included remote, but if that’s a must-have for you, you can spend just a bit more for the standard Fire TV Stick. We like that you at least get an Alexa button on the remote, which allows you to ask the device to search for your favorite shows and movies. Ultimately, the Fire TV Stick Lite is best for those who want to outfit older TVs with streaming capabilities without dropping a ton of money.

If you’re not committed to going for for the lowest-priced gadget available, we’d recommend the $35 Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Aside from the Cube set-top box, it’s the most powerful of Amazon’s streaming devices and it supports 4K HDR content, Dolby Atmos, Live Picture-in-Picture View and WiFi 6. Plus, the remote that it comes with has both the Alexa voice command button and TV controls as well.

For those who are looking for a new TV that already has streaming chops built in, Amazon’s discounted most of its Omni Series Fire TVs, too. The cheapest of the bunch is the 43-inch Omni set, which is $170 off and down to $240 for Prime Day. But even the most advanced model, the 75-inch set, won’t set you back too much: it’s $350 off and down to $750 right now.

Buy 43-inch Omni Fire TV at Amazon – $240Buy 75-inch Omni Fire TV at Amazon – $750

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Apple’s AirPods Pro drop to $170 for Prime Day

The AirPods Pro remain Apple’s best sounding wireless earbuds, but they’re also the priciest, too. Amazon Prime Day deals have knocked the earbuds down to a more manageable $170, which is $80 off their normal price and close to their all-time low. If you’re on a tighter budget, you can pick up the 2nd-gen AirPods instead while they’re on sale for $90.

Buy AirPods Pro at Amazon – $170Buy AirPods (2nd gen) at Amazon – $90

Even though the AirPods Pro are nearly three years old at this point, we still recommend them for Apple diehards who want the best sound quality possible along with conveniences offered by the H1 chipset. audio quality is stellar and it’s only enhanced by the buds’ strong ANC, which does a good job of blocking out surrounding noises. We also like that you can hop in and out of Transparency Mode when necessary, so you never miss an important conversation happening around you.

The AirPods Pro have a more comfortable design than regular AirPods, too, thanks to their interchangeable ear tips. They’re also IPX4 water resistant, so they’ll withstand your toughest, sweatiest workouts. Inside is Apple’s H1 chipset, which enables things like hands-free Siri access and quick pairing and switching between Apple devices. The H1 chip is one of the biggest selling points for any pair of AirPods because it helps them work seamlessly with things like iPhones, MacBooks and other Apple gadgets. Another big perk to the AirPods Pro is that they now come with a MagSafe charging case, so you can wirelessly power them up using any compatible magnetic power accessory.

If you’re willing to pass on features like ANC, you can save some money and opt for the 2nd-generation AirPods. They’re just about the cheapest they’ve ever been at $90, and those who liked the fit of Apple’s old-school EarPods will enjoy the design of these buds. Sound quality is decent and we liked their improved wireless performance and good battery life.

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Apple’s 11-inch iPad Pro drops to a record low of $699 at Amazon

If you’ve been waiting for a good deal on Apple’s latest iPad Pro, you’re in luck. Amazon dropped the price of the 11-inch space gray model to $699, which is $100 off its usual rate and the best price we’ve seen. That’s how much you’ll spend for the base, 128GB model, but you’ll find decent sales on those with higher storage capacities, too. The 512GB version is also $100 off and down to $999, while the 1TB model is $250 off and down to $1,250.

Buy 11-inch iPad Pro at Amazon – $699

Apple didn’t change too much about the iPad Pros’ designs when it upgraded the tablets last year. That’s because most of the improvements are internal — both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models run on Apple’s M1 chipset, making them the most powerful iPads the company has made to date. Apple also added things like 5G support and a USB-C port that doubles as a Thunderbolt connector with USB 4.0 compatibility to make the slabs more capable as laptop alternatives. With the right accessories, these iPad Pros could replace your aging laptop if you want something a bit more lightweight that still powerful enough to be your daily driver.

Both sizes of iPad Pro also have the new Center Stage camera system, which will keep you in frame during FaceTime calls. Ultimately, the biggest difference between the 11-inch and the 12.9-inch, other than overall size, is that the 12.9-inch iPad Pros have Apple’s Liquid Retina XDR display. It’s certainly a nice perk if you will use the tablet to watch a lot of videos, or even edit some of your own, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting a lackluster screen on the 11-inch version. On the contrary, the 2,388 x 1668 resolution Liquid Retina panel with True Tone and ProMotion is one of the best screens you’ll find on a high-end tablet today.

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Amazon’s Echo Show 8 hits new record low of $75 for Prime Day

Aside from Black Friday, Amazon Prime Day is the best time of year to pick up an Echo device since most of them are deeply discounted. Amazon didn’t disappoint this year — all of its Echo Show smart displays are on sale for Prime Day, key among them being the Echo Show 8 for $75. That’s $55 off its usual price and a new record low, and we’re calling it out at the top because it’s one of the better choices for most people. Also on sale are the Echo Show 5 for only $35, the swiveling Echo Show 10 for $180 and the Echo Show 15 for $180 as well.

Buy Echo Show 8 at Amazon – $75Buy Echo Show 5 at Amazon – $35Buy Echo Show 10 at Amazon – $180Buy Echo Show 15 at Amazon – $180Shop Echo deals at Amazon

It’s the second-generation Show 8 that you can get for $75, and we gave it a score of 87 when it came out last year. We like its 8-inch, 1,280 x 800-resolution touchscreen, minimalist design and solid sound quality. Since it’s larger than the Echo Show 5, you’ll get strong sound overall with surprisingly powerful bass and volume. This version of the Echo Show 8 only differs from the first-generation device in a couple of ways, with the most important being its updated video camera. The 13-megapixel camera digitally pans and zooms to keep you in frame when you’re video chatting with apps like Zoom. It’s a relatively small feature (which is why you could safely go for the first-gen Echo Show 8 to save some money), but it’ll be useful for those who constantly use their smart display as a stationary video-chatting device.

While the Show 8 could make a good kitchen or office device, the Echo Show 5 is one of the best “smart alarm clocks” you can get right now. We like its compact size, tap-to-snooze feature and its decent sound quality. Despite being the latest generation Show 5, this one doesn’t have the advanced video chatting features that the Echo Show 8 has, but you’ll still be able to use it for basic video calls.

If you prefer big screens, the Echo Show 10 or the Show 15 will be good options. The former automatically swivels to follow you when you’re on video calls, so you’re always in frame and you can also always see the screen. It also has the auto-framing features that the Echo Show 8 has, making it one of the best options for those who video chat often. We also like that the Show 10 has a built-in Zigbee smart home hub, letting you connect things like smart lights, locks and more directly to the display without needing an extra hub to make everything work.

The Echo Show 15 is the most niche of the bunch, by far. It’s a wall-mountable, Alexa-enabled touchscreen, allowing you to use it almost like a digital cork board of sorts. You can customize it to have notes, to-do lists and more on widgets on the display, or use it to watch recipe videos or even shows and movies on Netflix, Prime Video and more. It also uses a “visual and voice ID” feature to recognize who’s looking at the screen or who’s giving an Alexa command, so it can then display the most relevant information to that person on the screen.

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The Chromecast with Google TV is on sale for $40 right now

Early Prime Day deals keep popping up as we get close to the two-day shopping event, and this time they discount the Chromecast with Google TV by $10. You can pick up the streaming device for $40 right now, which is a return to its record low. Not only does this gadget give you access to services like Netflix, YouTube TV and others, but it also supports classic casting from your smartphone and other devices.

Buy Chromecast with Google TV at Amazon – $40

The latest Chromecast came out in 2020, but it remains a great option for those who already rely on the Google Assistant or those who prefer the Android TV ecosystem. Like most streaming devices in this price range, it supports 4K HDR content as well as Dolby Vision and Atmos. It’s just as easy to install as other streaming dongles, but one of the best things about it is its voice remote. That makes it much easier to navigate the Android TV interface, and it has a voice button that you can press when you want to search for content using voice commands.

When you’re not binge-watching your favorite show, you can also use the Chromecast with Google TV to turn your set into something like a huge smart display (sans touch capabilities). Using Assistant commands, you can ask the Chromecast to display forecasts on your TV, show live feeds from compatible security cameras and control smart lights and other accessories. We also like that it supports Ambient Mode, which lets you display Google Photos on your TV when you’re not actively using it.

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