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Deals Under $60

 2 years ago
source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/11/best-cyber-monday-deals-under-60-2021/
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Small budget, big value —

Here are the best Cyber Monday deals we’re seeing for less than $60

Including 4K streamers, board games, Fire HD tablets, microSD cards, and more.

Corey Gaskin - 11/29/2021, 7:40 PM

Pictures of the new Chromecast.

Enlarge / The new Chromecast with Google TV. It comes in colors.

Over the past week, we've tracked all sorts of discounts to help you save some cash while the gift-giving season kicks into gear. Just because a deal might be a good value, though, doesn't mean it's necessarily affordable.

So for this roundup, we're cutting things down for those strictly shopping on a budget and hoping to get the most bang for their buck—specifically for less than $60, since many of the better bargains we've found have been in that price range. We've also included a handful of deals just beyond $60 that we feel provide a similar bargain for the extra few bucks.

Below you can find deals on our favorite streaming stick, device protection, and some affordable smart home devices, among other deals. For a roundup of all the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals still running, head over to our full guide to the best deals we can find.

Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.

Our Cyber Monday Coverage

The best streaming stick

The Google Chromecast's home screen is well-spaced and aesthetically pleasing.
Enlarge / The Google Chromecast's home screen is well-spaced and aesthetically pleasing.
Corey Gaskin

Google Chromecast with Google TV for $40 ($50) at Target, Best Buy, Walmart

By our measure, there's no better streaming stick on the market than Google's Chromecast with Google TV. Its useful remote, quick performance, Dolby Vision/Atmos support, and wide app compatibility are all up to the mark. Most notably, Google TV's interface is a huge improvement from the past. It's easier to find the things you want—or new content you may actually like—here than on a Fire TV Stick or Roku. Plus, if you find a streaming service the Chromecast doesn't natively support, you can still "cast" media from your phone or computer directly to the player as it's hooked up to your TV.

Google's second-generation Nest Hub looks identical to the previous generation.
Enlarge / Google's second-generation Nest Hub looks identical to the previous generation.
Corey Gaskin

Our favorite smart display and stereo-capable smart speakers

Google Nest Hub (2nd gen) smart display for $50 ($100) at Target, Best Buy

Google Nest Audio smart speaker for $60 ($100) at Target, Best Buy

Google's Nest products highlight some of our favorite deals among smart home gear. The Nest Audio and Nest Hub, in particular, are attractive price cuts at 40 percent and 50 percent off, respectively. Nest Audio delivers decent, full-bodied sound with clear melodies and the ability to link up two for a left-channel, right-channel stereo experience. One can easily fill a room with sound, and two will widen that soundscape.

The Nest Hub is one of the best smart screens you can buy, especially if you dislike having a camera staring at you. This, paired with a well-tuned screen EQ that makes the screen nearly disappear at night (you can still read the time in this dimmed mode) and built-in, accurate sleep-tracking makes the Nest Hub an incomparable bedside companion.

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Amazon Echo Show 5 for $45 ($80) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy

Alternatively, if you're tied into the Amazon/Alexa ecosystem, and particularly if you have a Ring Video Doorbell (which is on sale for $42), then the Echo Show can be a good choice for living rooms and kitchens.

For the lowest bar to entry for a voice assistant, meanwhile, consider:

Enlarge / Zagg's Invisible Shield Glass screen protectors are lifetime warrantied.
Corey Gaskin

Protect your devices with cases and warrantied screen protectors

Zagg's Lifetime Warrantied Glass Screen Protectors from $11 at Amazon

Zagg wins a nod from us for its high-clarity, blue-light filtering (in the case of the Visionguard line) screen protectors, and the lifetime warranty attached to them. Blue-light filtering doesn't alter the color in any perceptible way, and replacements only cost the price of shipping, about $8.

In my experience, cracks and chips to the screen protector are rare, even with a fair amount of drops. Bubbling hasn't occurred at all, but replacements are available for this. Zagg also makes cleaning the screen easier, as you don't have to worry about preserving the oleophobic coating. Check below for deep discounts on iPad and iPhone screen protectors.

iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch Screen Protectors

Apple's Leather MagSafe Case for $48 ($60) for iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, and iPhone 13 Pro Max

Apple's leather MagSafe cases don't provide as much protection as style. But if they areyour style, several options for the latest crop of iPhones are on sale now for record lows of $48 and $49, depending on which model you use.

Enlarge / A better look at the venting array on two of the console's sides.

Gaming subscription deals

Right now, there are a ton of video games on sale. You can check our main list for a full summary, but there are some low-cost essentials that have dropped down a good ways.

Board game deals

Board gamers, fear not: there are a few nice grabs for you, too, including popular picks like Catan, Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, and others we've recommended in the past.

The new Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet. It has slimmer bezels and a new front camera placement.
Enlarge / The new Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet. It has slimmer bezels and a new front camera placement.
Amazon

An inexpensive, basic tablet

Amazon Fire HD 8 for $45 ($90) at Amazon

Over $50, but worth it: Amazon Fire HD 10 for $75 ($140) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy

Amazon has doled-out discounts to its entire Fire tablet lineup for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The 8-inch Fire HD 8 is a good value for those who want a competent tablet for as little as possible at its current deal price of $45. If you don't mind paying a bit more for a bigger display and slightly faster performance, though, the new Fire HD 10 is a superior option for casual web browsing and video streaming. It's down to $75. Both deals match the lowest prices we've tracked.

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Enlarge / Fitbit's Inspire 2 activity tracker.
Fitbit

Keep it moving (and tracking) with a casual fitness tracker

Fitbit Inspire 2 activity tracker for $60 ($95) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy

For those interested in taking the first steps on their fitness journey, the Fitbit Inspire 2 can be the perfect companion. Since it comes with a year of Fitbit Premium, the Inspire 2 doubles its value by bringing over 200 workout videos to choose from, as well as content for mindfulness and meditation. It can also track your heart rate during sleep and exercise. All of this is used to figure out your Daily Readiness (a premium feature). This assesses your workouts, sleep, and recovery to let you know how ready you are to exercise that day and then recommends particular workouts or rest for the day.

The Inspire 2 lacks built-in GPS (you can bring your phone along to pair with its GPS), EDA (electrodermal activity sensors for stress tracking), or ECG (echocardiogram readings), as well as blood oxygen monitoring. If those are important to you, then the Fitbit Sense (on sale now for $200), or one of our other top picks, may be a better option.

Enlarge / The 8Bitdo Pro 2 is highly customizable.
Sam Machkovech

Some more Cyber Monday deals we like for $60 or less

Finally, we'll close with an assortment of decent savings on other affordable tech we like. Among our favorites here are two of our top wireless mice—Logitech's M720 Triathlon and G305 Lightspeed—for work and for gaming, respectively.

The 8BitDo Pro 2 is a high-performing and customizable gamepad we reviewed glowingly as a bargain for $50, and while it's only $5 off, this is the first discount we've seen for it.

We've previously touted SanDisk's officially licensed microSD card as a reliable option for Switch owners in the past, while Samsung's Evo Select is another steady if not class-leading option that nevertheless offers good value for a 256GB card. Both are down to new lows.

We've also recommended Tile's item trackers in the past, and they still hold their own as effective options for finding your misplaced things in less populated areas, even compared to Apple's competing AirTags.

Anker's PowerCore 10000 Redux, meanwhile, is an ultraportable battery pack we like for travel. There are certainly more powerful packs out there, but with a 25W USB-C PD port, this updated model can still charge many existing phones at, or at least close to, the fastest rates possible.


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