Apple and other retailers are offering awesome promotions to kick off the summer.Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Celebrate our nation’s birthday the Verge Deals way, by saving on some fun tech in time for the summer instead of, you know, doomscrolling about the state of everything. The Fourth of July holiday means different things to different people, but regardless, we’re about to take you on a journey to see all the best July Fourth deals on a variety of tech from across the internet.

Several retailers are celebrating the summer holiday by offering excellent discounts and promotions on their products. For instance, Belkin is offering a sitewide discount on its charging peripherals, and Apple is already offering a pair of promotions for anyone in the market for a new tablet or laptop. There’s a little something for everyone. It’s also worth noting that a lot of these deals will remain in place after the holiday weekend, so feel free to take your time instead of spending your long weekend looking for creative ways to spend your latest paycheck.

Laptop deals

While deals on laptops for July Fourth may be a little slim currently, there are a couple of highlights that we think are deserving of your attention. Starting off, the 14-inch model of the HP Spectre x360 is currently discounted to $1,049.99 from its usual $1,519.99 price at HP. This convertible laptop is equipped with an Intel Core i7-1195G7 and has a 1920 x 1280 touchscreen powered by the somewhat capable Intel Iris Xe graphics. This configuration of the Spectre x360 has 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage that can be expanded, if necessary, by using the built-in microSD card slot. Read our review.

HP Spectre x360 14 (8GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

• $1,050
• $1,520
• 31% off

The HP Spectre x360 14 is the best 2-in-1 laptop of 2022.

• $1,050 at HP

If you’re on the lookout for something that's a little more portable and suave, Best Buy has discounted a Microsoft Surface Pro 8 bundle that includes the Type Cover keyboard to just $899.99. The 128GB configuration of the Surface Pro 8 is usually $1,249.99 when packaged with its keyboard, making this easily the best price we’ve seen to date. The Surface Pro 8 is a 13-inch tablet that can double as a laptop in a pinch thanks to its surprisingly powerful hardware, featuring an 11th Gen Intel Core i5 processor and a 120Hz refresh rate screen. Read our review.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8

• $1,250
• 29% off

The new Surface Pro 8 is Microsoft’s biggest upgrade in years. The excellent 2-in-1 touts Thunderbolt 4 support, a 120Hz display, a better camera, and a more modern design.

• $900 at Best Buy (128GB)

Apple deals

School may have just let out for summer, but for anyone looking ahead to the fall semester, Apple is currently running a promotion for anyone looking to purchase a MacBook, iMac, or iPad for the new school year. Currently, you can get a $150 Apple gift card to spend at a later date when you purchase a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or iMac from Apple’s educational website.

13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 (2022)

• $1,199

The latest configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Pro can be equipped with the new M2 CPU and can be configured to have up to 24GB of unified memory.

• $1,199 at Apple

MacBook Air with M1 (late 2020)

• 11% off

The MacBook Air is Apple’s entry-level laptop, which comes outfitted with the company’s new M1 chip and in one of three different colors (silver, space gray, and gold).

2021 iMac with M1 (24-inch)

• $1,249

Apple’s latest desktop machine features the company’s lightning-quick M1 processor as well as a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a sharp 4.5K Retina display, and improved speakers.

• $1,249 at Apple

Alternatively, you can get a $100 gift card if you buy an iPad Air or iPad Pro. This promotion also applies to purchases or preorders made using Apple’s education discount, which takes around 10 percent off the regular purchase price of eligible hardware in the Apple store.

2022 iPad Air (Wi-Fi)

The latest iPad Air retains the iPad Pro-esque redesign of the 2020 model but does away with the A14 Bionic processor in favor of Apple’s lightning-fast M1 chip. It also comes in one of five colors and boasts a 12MP front-facing camera with support for Apple’s Center Stage feature.

• $550 at Apple (64GB)

Gaming deals

• Both Steam and Nintendo are currently discounting a sizable chunk of their digital library, giving you the opportunity to fill out your backlog for the summer with sales on some excellent titles. If you need a summary of all the games that are currently being discounted, we’ve put together a post outlining some of our favorites. It’s more of a coincidence that these sales are running through July Fourth, but either way, gamers should hop on these deals because they likely won’t be back until later this year.

• If you’re in the market for some new PC hardware, Newegg is currently discounting a variety of graphics cards, laptops, and gaming monitors as part of its summer Prime Day-like sale.
• The Gigabyte Gaming OC RTX 3080 graphics card normally sells for $899.99 but is currently discounted to $759.99 when you use the code VGAGBET244 at checkout. This is the best price we’ve seen for this powerful graphics card to date, making this a deal worth investigating if you’ve been waiting to upgrade your GPU to something that won’t require further investments for years.
• If you need a GPU that’s a little more sensibly priced, you can find the MSI Ventus GeForce GTX 1660 Super discounted to $269.99 when you checkout with the code VGAEXCBN2. This configuration of the 1660 Super typically sells for $399.99, making this the lowest price we’ve seen yet for this graphics card. This GPU should be more than enough for running basic games that aren’t too graphically demanding.

Here are some extra gaming deals:

MSI Optix AG321CR

• 22% off

The 32-inch MSI Optix AG321CR is a curved, 1080p gaming monitor with a 165Hz refresh rate. Rounding out its impressive list of features, the AG321CR also includes AMD Freesync compatibility, a 1ms response time, and RGB lighting accents.

• $250 at Newegg

| Image: Acer

Acer ED270R

• 16% off

This 27-inch curved monitor from Acer features a resolution of 1920 x 1080, a 165Hz refresh rate, and has AMD FreeSync support. While it may not support higher resolutions, the ED270R provides an excellent collection of features at a relatively low price point.

• $169 at Newegg

Misc. tech deals

If you’re looking to track how many calories you can burn running to distract yourself from the seemingly endless flow of bad news happening around the world (or simply running just to enjoy the rush), Polar is marking down several popular models of its fitness wearables by as much as 33 percent. Here’s a breakdown of some of the discounts currently being offered:

| Image: Polar

Polar Ignite 2

• 23% off

This fitness tracker from Polar closely resembles a conventional watch but includes a broad spectrum of health tracking features. In addition to heart rate and sleep tracking, the Ignite 2 is also capable of pushing notifications from your phone and controlling music playback.

• $179 at Polar

Polar Unite

• 33% off

Polar’s most budget-friendly option, the Polar Unite, covers all of the basic features you’d expect from a fitness-facing smartwatch but at a much more affordable price point than its peers. While you do sacrifice some of the more granular features like built-in speed and cadence measurements, the Polar Unite remains a cost-effective solution for anyone that wants a smartwatch that keeps track of fundamental fitness metrics.

• $100 at Polar

If you need a watch that’s truly built to withstand the elements, Polar is also discounting the Polar Grit X from its usual $429.95 price to just $300.96. In addition to a robust suite of fitness-tracking features, the Grit X is capable of working for up to 40 hours on a single charge, and it can provide you with helpful route planning information.

• Belkin is currently offering a sitewide sale that allows you to save 15 percent on its headphones, earbuds, and charging accessories. Just use the code 4JULY2022 at checkout to apply your discount to products — including those that are already marked down. Some standouts include the Boost Charge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank that's normally available for $49.99 but drops to $33.99 with the promo code. You can also find the Boost Charge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Pad discounted to $127.49 instead of its usual $149.99 if you’re looking for a MagSafe-compatible option for your iPhone 12 or 13.

Belkin Boost Charge Magnetic Wireless Power Bank

• 33% off

This MagSafe power bank is compatible with the iPhone 12 and 13, and has a 2500mAh capacity. The battery pack conveniently attaches to the back of your phone without blocking the camera and can top off an empty iPhone 12 to 50 percent.

• $34 at Belkin