Happy Saturday, readers! Apple’s upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is now less than two weeks away. The company is largely expected to introduce its mixed reality headset — ending what feels like a decade of rumors — along with a new 15-inch MacBook Air. However, if you’re looking for a 13-inch machine that packs plenty of value, Apple’s base MacBook Air from 2020 is matching its all-time low of $799.99 ($200 off) at Amazon and Best Buy.
Despite its age, Apple’s M1-equipped remains one of our go-to recs for anyone who can’t afford the newest MacBook Air but wants something lightweight and relatively fast. We once heralded it as one of the best laptops you could get, namely due to its long-lasting battery life, solid keyboard, and the strength of Apple’s M1 silicon, which continues to hold up even if the last-gen Air can’t quite compete with newer models. It’s not a budget buy, per se, but if you want an everyday machine for work and entertainment, you’d be hard-pressed to find one that offers more value for the money.
Read our M1 MacBook Air review.
Streaming devices might not literally be a dime a dozen, but, suffice it to say, there are a lot of fantastic options to consider when you’re on the hunt for your next streamer. Most of them aren’t anywhere near as versatile as Amazon’s third-gen Fire TV Cube, though, which has hit an all-time low of $119.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.
At its core, the latest Fire TV Cube is a streaming device that also pulls double duty as a smart speaker thanks to an array of beam-forming mics. Much like the Fire TV Stick 4K Max, it supports Wi-Fi 6E and 4K streaming in all the popular HDR formats (including Dolby Vision), yet it also touts faster performance and support for hands-free voice commands, which are now far more capable than they were just a few years ago. Now, pair the aforementioned specs with the speaker’s built-in HDMI input and attractive, fabric-adorned and you have a streaming device that’s a real step up from Amazon’s budget offerings.
Read our Amazon Fire TV Cube (third-gen) review.
Peacock may have dropped its free membership tier in February, but there are still ways to save on the streaming service if you know where to look. Now until June 12th, for example, new and returning subscribers can grab a year of Peacock Premium for $19.99 ($30 off) when they use promo code SUMMEROFPEACOCK.
If you’re curious as to how Peacock’s two subscription plans differ, well, there isn’t much to know. The ad-supported Premium plan gives you access to all of the same movies and TV shows as the higher tier — meaning you can still use it to burn through Cocaine Bear, Rian Johnson’s oh-so-excellent Poker Face, and whatever the hell Vandepump Rules is — along with select sporting events and news. You won’t get as much live programming or the ability to download content for offline viewing, but, hey, it’s also less than $2 a month.
A few more deals for your Memorial Day weekend
- Anker’s MagSafe-ready 622 Magnetic Battery is still on sale at Amazon for $39.99 ($30 off) when you clip the on-page coupon for an additional $10 off. Anker is offering the same discount through May 28th with promo code WSCPJQTUSS, making now a good time to pick up the 7.5W magnetic charger. Read our magnetic charger buying guide.
- The AirPods Max, Apple’s luxe on-ear headphones, have returned to $449.99 — about $100 off and their second-best price to date — at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. The wireless headphones certainly aren’t cheap, though they do showcase phenomenal build quality, great noise cancellation, and the kind of simplicity for which Apple has become known. Now, if only the included carrying case wasn’t such a travesty. Read our review.
- The Razer Huntsman Mini is currently on sale at Amazon with clicky optical switches for $69.60 (about $50 off). Although the wired 60 percent board is one of Razer’s smallest, it still features programmable macros and RGB backlighting, which you can customize with Razer’s Synapse software.
- We aren’t going to wax too poetic regarding Vizio’s M512a-H6, but if you’re looking for a powerful soundbar with up-firing speakers and support for Dolby Atmos surround sound, you can pick it up on Amazon with a 6-inch sub and two rear speakers for $374.43 (about $126 off). Read our soundbar buying guide.
- The fifth-gen Echo Dot is still down to $39.99 ($10 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. It remains to be seen how the latest Dot compares to Amazon’s newest Alexa speaker, the Echo Pop, but we do know the Dot retains some hardware advantages over the latter. This includes a temperature sensor and an option for an LED clock, one that can display the time, weather, song titles, and other helpful tidbits of information. Read our review.
