The biggest discount yet is happening for Google’s Nest Wifi Pro, its Wi-Fi 6 and 6E router that’s significantly faster (and shinier) than the original Nest Wifi. You can get a single unit for $159.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store. Previous deals only took some money off the cost of a two-pack, which isn’t necessary if you live in a small apartment. But if you do need more coverage, a two-pack is just $239, a nice $60 deal. (For context, one can cover up to 2,200 square feet, while two doubles that number.) Just remember: you can add more Nest Wifi Pro units to your mesh network down the road.

Compared to other mesh Wi-Fi routers with “Pro” in their name, the Nest Wifi Pro has some perks, like having no subscription fees, being very easy to set up and use, and offering support with Thread and Matter smart home protocols. All of that looks even better with this cheaper price, and it’s a little easier to overlook some faults, like that its two ethernet ports are limited to 1Gbps and that it has limited parental controls. Check out Jennifer Pattison Tuohy’s review for everything else you need to know.

Here’s another smart home-adjacent gadget that’s discounted today. A two-pack of TP-Link’s Kasa slim and smart Wi-Fi plugs are $19.99 at Amazon, a 33 percent price cut. It’s not difficult to find cheap smart plugs, but these are a cut above your average model with their broad ecosystem support (HomeKit, Alexa, Hey Google) as well as app control for scheduling, setting a timer, and more. Oh, and they’re quite small, so they won’t hog your entire wall outlet.

Microsoft’s compact, surprisingly capable Xbox Series S is selling for $239.99 at the company’s online store and at Walmart. This is $60 off the original retail price and just a bit cheaper than the usual sale prices that we’ve frequently spotted during the holiday period. This is an all-digital console, so it can’t play discs like the Xbox Series X. Given its smaller size and price compared to Microsoft’s larger console, it’s much less powerful, targeting 1440p resolution in most games — some of which can still play at up to 120 frames per second. In addition to gaming, it’s also a solid purchase if you use a lot of streaming apps. Read our review.

A few deal reminders

• Time is almost up at Steam to take advantage of the digital PC game retailer’s annual winter sale. It’ll end at 10AM PT / 1PM ET today, so run in and get those deals on games while you still can.
• For current (or prospective) Verizon customers, the carrier is hosting a deal that tosses in a new smartwatch when you buy select 5G phones. That includes getting an Apple Watch Series 7 with the purchase of an iPhone 14 Pro or netting a Google Pixel Watch when you get a Pixel 7 Pro. As is usually the case with carriers, the deal isn’t as cut-and-dried as I made it sound. There are some caveats, like that the smartwatch isn’t free upfront. You’ll start to be paid back for your purchase after a few billing cycles.
• Newegg is selling the Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless noise-canceling earbuds for $179.99, which is just $2 shy of eclipsing the lowest price yet (normally $249.99). Other retailers aren’t currently honoring this price, but Newegg is in celebration of its 22nd birthday.