Intel is officially killing off the ‘i’ in Core i7 — as it goes Ultra
Intel is officially killing off the ‘i’ in Core i7 — as it goes Ultra
Intel is officially killing off the ‘i’ in Core i7 — as it goes Ultra
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Intel’s embarking on a massive branding simplification ahead of Meteor Lake.
By
Sean Hollister
, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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Intel is going Ultra. It’s not wholly clear what that means.
Image: Intel
The rumors were true: Intel is officially killing off the “i” in “Core i9,” “Core i7,” “Core i5,” and “Core i3” — and it won’t broadly refer to its next series of processors as “14th Gen,” either.
The chipmaker is now planning to sell three tiers of consumer chips: Intel, Intel Core, and Intel Core Ultra.
Why? Intel branding experts tell me the all-important word “Intel” was getting lost, and the radically different Meteor Lake chips coming in the second half of 2023 offered an opportunity to change things up.
“When we looked at how the tech press, how our retailers, our OEMs, our partners talk about it, it was interesting to see how we got shortchanged all the way to a letter and a number,” Christopher Hirsch, Intel’s director of product branding, tells The Verge.
The company says its research found that it was “Core,” not “i5” or “i7,” that triggered associations with Intel. “Does ‘I’ represent Apple with iPhone and iPod? Was it simply an unknown? That was one of the costs of people not knowing they’re our products,” Hirsch says.
But after dropping the “i,” you can’t shorten the name as easily. “People won’t walk around saying ‘I bought a seven.’”
Image: Intel
You’ll say Core 7, perhaps. Or Ultra 7, because the company’s also taking this opportunity to segment its flagship parts from mainstream ones, the same way a BMW M5 is different from a BMW 5 series, Intel brand strategist Tim Thraves suggests.
It’s not a perfect analogy, he admits. Ultra doesn’t necessarily stand for speed or style or luxury, at least where Intel is concerned. (For Apple, which already has two generations of Ultra processors and an Ultra watch on the market, it’s clearly about performance.)
Hirsch and Thraves can’t say too much but hint that Intel’s Ultra products will have “bigger feature sets” with “Arc-level graphics integrated into the processor that you won’t see on any products in the mainstream Core space,” AI capabilities (like AMD, Apple, and Qualcomm), and the “absolute best performance.”
Image: Intel
Where, before, the question might be “Am I an i7 guy, am I an i9 guy,” it’s now “Are you an Ultra buyer, or are you a Core buyer,” says Hirsch. “It’s only after that you’re going to go down the tiering path” of 3, 5, 7, and 9, he says — though you won’t find an Ultra 3 or a Core 9, perhaps because those would send mixed messages.
Importantly for enthusiasts like me, you’ll still be able to look up the full alphanumeric identifier of a chip and identify its capabilities and generation the same way we have for many years. “It will always be there, in the model number itself, for those who need to find it,” Hirsch promises.
Here are a few fake chip naming examples that Intel provided me, so you can see things aren’t changing all that much:
Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 1090H
Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 1070K
Intel Core 5 processor 1050U
If my decoder ring holds up, those fake names translate to 1) a flagship laptop processor with powerful onboard graphics, 2) a powerful desktop processor that’s unlocked for enthusiasts to overclock, and 3) a midrange low-voltage laptop chip, just as they would in previous generations. “Folks who look for HX, K... we’ll continue to go drive products for those segments,” says Thraves.
There is one possible point of confusion that occurs to me — when retailers no longer clearly distinguish between “13th Gen” and “14th Gen,” what’s to keep someone from accidentally buying last year’s Core instead of the newest one? But Intel seems to think that’s a feature rather than a bug. “Our customers, OEMs, they have to sell a lot of older products... screaming ‘13th Gen’ highlights what’s new, but it also screams what’s old. We want to make it a little bit more flexible,” says Thraves.
Still, the chip numbers should appear on store shelves if you want to look them up.
While the company’s primarily talking about Core and Core Ultra today, it already axed the Pentium and Celeron value brands last year. Lower-end processors are now just called Intel Processor, like this Intel Processor N200.
Value parts are just “Intel Processor” now.
Image: Intel
I regret not asking about how the PC market has been tanking and whether that might have also had anything to do with the rebranding. I did ask whether it’s really worthwhile to throw out names like “i5” and “i7” and didn’t get a compelling answer, but Hirsch and Thraves made it clear their company believes the benefits are worth it.
Apple MacBook Air 15-inch review: Apple’s Big Air era
Apple’s first big-screened MacBook Air addresses a long-standing need in the company’s laptop lineup. And it comes with zero surprises and no sticker shock.
By
Monica Chin
, a senior reviewer covering laptops and other gadgets. Monica was a writer for Tom's Guide and Business Insider before joining The Verge in 2020.
Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales
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Finally, a bigger MacBook for the masses.
Finally, a bigger MacBook for the masses.
The MacBook Air 15 fills a gap in Apple’s laptop lineup that hasn’t been filled in basically ever: a large-screened laptop priced for the masses.
There is no reason that Apple needed to wait this long. But it is releasing this model now, following many months that were slow for the company and much slower for the industry at large. Apple, over the last two quarters, reported the sharpest year-over-year percentage decline in Mac revenue that we’ve seen in half a decade. If there were ever a time that laptop companies needed to inject the market with some pizzazz, it’s today, right now.
In the Windows space, PC makers are making a flashy pivot to services. Artificial intelligence is being shoved down consumers’ throats. New models are shipping with a laundry list of webcam beautification features and tools that keep your eyes in one place. Dell made an invisible touchpad. Lenovo’s doing funky things with E Ink and dual screens. HP hardwired a customer service button to its flagship product, rebranding itself from a PC company to a “solution” provider. Asus is… well, it’s doingvarious thingsover there. MSI’s trying to make ChatGPT.
But Apple is not chasing generative AI or E Ink or dual screens. It’s releasing a product that people have been asking for at a price that they are very likely to pay. A good, functional product that people have been shouting, for years, that they want. A 15-inch MacBook Air.
And yes, in case you were on the edge of your seat: it is good.
Feelings
The most recent MacBook I reviewed was the 16-inch MacBook Pro. That was a model where nothing was new with the chassis and everything was new with the chip.
On paper, this MacBook Air 15 is the opposite. The chip is a known quantity — it’s the M2, the same one that lives in the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. In fact, the model I have (eight-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB memory, 512GB storage, $1,699) is basically the same configuration we received for our review of the 13-inch model (with twice the memory) thrown into a bigger chassis.
Prior to the Air 15, if you wanted a MacBook with an appreciably larger display, you’d have to pay a $1,000 premium and get a thicker, much heavier computer. But if you now spec the 13-inch and 15-inch devices identically, the larger one commands around a $100 premium. The chip is not different; the chassis is different.
The same but bigger.
Well, is it? Using this device on a day-to-day basis does not feel particularly different from using the 13-inch Air. The keyboard and touchpad and trusty webcam notch are all the same. The biggest difference to report — and this will come as no surprise — is the screen. The 15.3-inch panel is large, especially with its slightly taller than 16:10 aspect ratio. It affords, frankly, much more space than I would ever know how to take full advantage of. I can comfortably use two windows side by side; on the 13-inch Air, I might have to zoom out a notch or two. Big screen devotees, you’ll be thrilled.
The second big difference is the weight. The 13-inch Air is 2.7 pounds, and the 15-inch Air is 3.3 pounds. There is just over half a pound of difference, and it is noticeable. While the 15-inch Air is a world lighter than its larger 16-inch M2 Pro cousins, it is significantly chunkier than the 13-inch Air.
Look, you are all going to make fun of me for this, and I deserve it. But the Air is an ultraportable machine, and that has been its shtick since it launched. The 15-inch Air is not an ultraportable machine in the same way. Just for some context, it is only a tenth of a pound away from the weight of the Zephyrus G14 gaming laptop. It is thin, thinner than other Windows laptops in this size class, but there is quite a bit packed into that chassis, and it’s still a big computer overall. Carrying it around in a tote bag was not my favorite thing.
You can’t see the speakers because they are tucked away in the chassis, but believe me, you can hear them.
But the third big difference is the speakers. The Air 13’s speakers are good; the Air 15’s are stupendous. Bass came through in a way it doesn’t on pretty much any other computer; I was so stunned when I first turned on a bass-heavy song that I thought it must’ve been coming from a Bluetooth speaker somewhere else.
Largely, however, the size of the chassis does not transform the experience of using the Air. This is not an XPS 13 / XPS 15 situation where two models have experiences, use cases, and target demographics that are clearly different. This is a larger Air, with the same keyboard as before, the same (albeit, even larger) excellent trackpad, and a bigger screen.
The bigger size does not get you any more ports, unfortunately.
In turn, my complaints about this Air are largely my complaints about the smaller Air: I wish it were upgradable, I wish there were more ports, and I wish I could take or leave the notch. And my praise is the same. It is, for its category, portable. It is well built and sturdy. The screen is wonderful. It seems like Apple has figured out exactly what the MacBook Air needs to be. This is what a MacBook Air is.
Numbers
The MacBook Air 15 sits solidly between the MacBook Air 13 and the MacBook Pro 13 in most of the synthetic benchmark tests I ran. The three devices are in the same ballpark on the single-core Cinebench test; the 15-inch Air is much closer to the 13-inch Pro on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming benchmark than it is to the 13-inch Air.
Since all of these devices have the same processor, any difference in performance likely comes down to cooling. Like the smaller version, the MacBook Air 15 does not have a fan. What it does have is a wee bit more room for its heat pipes to do their thing. Overall, it seems that the 15-incher’s big berth does not have quite as large of an impact on the M2’s performance as the MacBook Pro 13’s fan — but it gets a decent part of the way there.
The caveat: the Air still gets hot. It was hotter in the area right above the function row than I wanted to touch during pretty much all of my benchmark testing. The keyboard, while usable, was toasty. I did not see any of this heat when I was just using the Air to mess around in Chrome, which was most of the time. But if you’re one of those people buying this thinking you will use it to export video every so often, take that to note.
In more human terms, I do not really notice a difference in my day-to-day work performance between the MacBook Air 15 and any other MacBook released in recent years. The M1 chip was already well above the demands of my workload, and the M2 chip is a step yet beyond. I’m using an M1 MacBook Pro 13 as my daily driver for my journalist workload these days, and let me tell you — it’s all the same. That said, this is not a review where I can get away with just recommending that you buy last year’s model at a discount because there is no last year’s model. Fair enough. Well played.
The 15-inch Air is a big-screen laptop with big-time battery life.
The last thing to comment on is the battery life. I averaged 14 and a half hours. That is also squarely between what I generally see from the 13-inch MacBook Air (around 13 hours) and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (16 to 16 and a half). That’s a bit confusing since both of these devices have smaller batteries than the Air 15, and I wish I had a smart and scientific reason for it, but the explanation I’m going to go with is that, when you’re dealing with battery lifespans this long, these results are probably all within margin of error (and also put us at a point where we’re reaching somewhat diminishing returns). The Air 15 has a bigger battery, but it also powers a bigger display, and the differences all come out in the wash.
The takeaway here is that the Air 15 will get you through a day and then some. You shouldn’t have to worry about it. In fact, you won’t have to worry about much when you’re using this device. It works, it works for a long time away from the wall, and it has a big old screen. And that’s pretty much what we all wanted from a 15-inch MacBook Air to begin with.
This is how you do it
There are times when I wish I were on a beat like smart home was in the late 2010s or VR apparently is now, full of whizzbangs and colored lights and onstage demos that make everyone go “wow.” I’ll admit to finding myself envious, now and again, of tech journalists who regularly get to proclaim that they’ve found a gadget that could change the world forever.
But I am glad to be on the laptop beat today. Not because this MacBook is ushering in a new era for humanity but because real, regular people — sitting on their couches, checking their emails, bookmarking their recipes, whatever it is we all do — are going to be happy with this device. It’s everything you’d want from a MacBook Air. And it will help them do their work and check their emails and watch Netflix faster and better. Good laptops make us better versions of ourselves. That is all they should be doing.
I have no doubt that recent declines in PC sales are an unfortunate and upsetting thing for companies who make laptops. I wonder if I, a consumer, might take a more optimistic view. People bought a lot of things in 2020 and 2021, and they remain happy with those things. Those computers are serving their lifestyles and workloads just fine.
The 15-inch Air doesn’t change the world; it just does its job very, very well
That’s a status quo, of course, that profit-maximizing PC manufacturers can’t condone. And from some players, the angle of attack has been to invent a new need. On the same day that it announced this MacBook Air, Apple launched a $3,500 virtual reality headset. Like Lenovo’s dual-screen doodads and Dell’s touchpad-free rig and the legions of AR- and VR- and RGB- and AI-loaded gadgets I’m pitched every week, Apple’s Vision Pro has a message. Your world, the consumer’s world, is lacking in ways that you did not realize — you may not think you need this expensive bundle of circuits, you may be sure you don’t need it, but just try it. You’ll see.
Thank God that headset shared the floor with this, a $1,300 laptop that does not claim to move the world but a laptop that does its job, with speakers, with screens, with processors that do things right. This device doesn’t manufacture a need; it found a need, and it’s filling it. We don’t need to be convinced that we want the Air 15. We’ve been waiting for it.
Agree to Continue: Apple MacBook Air 15
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.
In order to get past the setup and actually use the MacBook Air, you are required to agree to:
The macOS software license agreement, which includes Apple’s warranty agreement and the Game Center terms and conditions
These agreements are nonnegotiable, and you cannot use the laptop at all if you don’t agree to them.
There are also several optional agreements, including:
Location services
Using an iCloud account adds iCloud terms and conditions and Find My location services
Sending crash and usage data to Apple to help app developers
Allowing Apple to use your Siri transcripts to improve voice recognition
Apple Pay terms and conditions
The final tally is three mandatory agreements and six optional ones.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 leak shows a hinge that closes flat
Leaked Galaxy Z Fold 5 render shows a phone that can actually close flat
Leaked Galaxy Z Fold 5 render shows a phone that can actually close flat
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The ‘water drop’ hinge rumors were true?
By
Richard Lawler
, a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Verge in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget.
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What appears to be the first official image of Samsung’s next flagship foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, has been posted by MySmartPrice (via SamMobile). While we expect to see a full reveal during Samsung’s Unpacked event in Korea next month, the picture does show a few details about the Z Fold 5 that could help explain how it will compete with Google’s Pixel Fold and all of the other flexible mobile devices that are popping up this summer.
We’ve heard rumors of a “water drop”-style hinge that could help reduce the appearance of a screen crease when unfolded and allow the phone to close practically flat, with the same durability rating as its predecessor. In the image, the folded device looks like it has less of a gap when closed than the Galaxy Z Fold 4 we reviewed last year (although Samsung Display has already shown off a prototype with a slim hinge that can fold both inward and outward if you want to know what might arrive even further in the future).
Galaxy Z Fold 4 folded in half on a desk, showing a larger gap near the hinge than the rendered Z Fold 5 in the leaked image.
Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Another clearly visible but minor change shows the camera flash moved off of the camera bump on the back, and the screen bezel looks a bit thinner.
Expected specs listed include screen sizes that are unchanged from the last couple of years, with a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display on the outside cover and a 7.6-inch QHD+ display on the inside, the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC for Galaxy found in the Galaxy S23 phones, 4,400mAh battery with 45W fast charging and 25W wireless charging, a triple rear camera setup with 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, 10MP telephoto camera, and 12MP front-facing cameras for use open or closed.
If you believe in the dream of a versatile phone / tablet combo that’s perfect for multitasking, this is obviously a device to watch out for. However, unlike previous folding phones from Samsung, this one will face competition, including the Z Flip 5 we also expect to see at that Unpacked event, the Pixel Fold, and even Motorola’s next Razr.
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Samsung’s next foldable-focused Galaxy Unpacked will take place in late July
Samsung’s next foldable-focused Galaxy Unpacked will take place in late July
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The company’s summer product showcase will be hosted in Seoul for the first time.
By
Jay Peters
, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium.
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Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event, where it typically reveals new smartphones and other gadgets, is scheduled for sometime in late July, the company announced on Tuesday. For the first time, it will take place in Seoul, South Korea. Like other recent summer Unpacked events, expect the 2023 iteration to focus on foldables.
“The foldable category embodies Samsung’s philosophy of delivering innovation that pushes boundaries to reshape the future of mobile experiences,” TM Roh, Samsung’s president and head of its mobile experience business, said in a statement. “Hosting Unpacked in Seoul holds great significance both as it is a city that has become an emerging epicenter of innovation and culture as well as the foldable category.”
A rumor from May said this year’s Unpacked could take place on July 26th. Moving forward, the Unpacked shows focused on foldables will be held in different cities that “closely align with the designated theme of each event,” Samsung says.
Regardless of exactly when this year’s event happens, the July timeframe means Unpacked will be a bit earlier than usual — last year, it took place in August. At that show, Samsung revealed the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4, so I’m guessing we’ll get updates to both of those smartphones this year: the Z Flip 5 is rumored to get a larger outer display, while the Z Fold 5 is reportedly much thinner while folded. Hot foldable summer indeed!
Here are some last-minute Father’s Day gifts that should arrive on time
Here are some last-minute Father’s Day gifts that should arrive on time
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We found deals on all sorts of gifts, including Sony’s noise-canceling WH-1000XM5s, a go-to Xbox controller, and Amazon’s latest Echo Dot.
By
Sheena Vasani
, a writer covering commerce, e-readers, and tech news. She previously wrote about everything from web development to AI at Inside.
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If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.See our ethics statement.
The second-gen AirPods Pro (left) and Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II (right) are just two of the many gifts you can still snag.
Photo: Chris Welch / The Verge
Father’s Day is swiftly approaching — and you know what that means. Everyone from The Home Depot to Amazon is hosting a Father’s Day sale in the run-up to the holiday this weekend, and some retailers are even offering better deals than those we saw during Memorial Day. You’ll likely have to pay extra to get gifts in time from Amazon if you’re not already a Prime member, sure, but retailers like Best Buy and Target will ship many of these items in time for the holiday free of charge.
We’ve scoured the web and rounded up some of the best last-minute gifts you can still buy, all of which are currently on sale. Take a look and be sure to also check out our main Father’s Day gift guide and our budget-friendly version for some extra inspiration.
Streaming device deals
The Chromecast with Google TV (4K) introduces a dedicated remote and new software. It brings together recommendations from all of your streaming services and supports 4K HDR content with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HDR10 Plus. Read our review.
Amazon’s latest Fire TV Cube
is an Alexa-enabled smart speaker and a Fire TV streaming device in one. Right now, it’s on sale at The Home Depot, Amazon, and Best Buy for $124.99 ($15 off), nearly matching its best price to date. Read our review.
Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max
is currently on sale for $34.99 ($20 off) at Amazon and Target. Best Buy also has it on sale, but you’ll have to pick it up in-store to get it in time for Father’s Day. In terms of specs, the excellent streaming stick offers access to a wide range of streaming apps, supports Wi-Fi 6, and integrates nicely with Amazon Alexa, making it a great fit for those already embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem. Read our review.
Earbud and headphone deals
With a fresh design, improved comfort, refined sound, and even better active noise cancellation, Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones offer a compelling mix of features for their premium price. Read our review.
Sony’s last-gen WH-1000XM4 headphones
are also on sale right now for $278 (about $72 off) at Best Buy, Amazon, and direct from Sony. Although they’re not as impressive as the newer model, they still offer excellent noise cancellation and sound quality. They’re also foldable, unlike the XM5s, which allows for easier storage. Read our review.
TheBose QuietComfort 45 headphones are down to $279 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. They also tout great noise cancellation and a foldable design like Sony’s aforementioned XM4s, but where they really excel is when it comes to comfort. Read our review.
Apple’s latest AirPods Pro take after the last-gen model but include swipe controls and a new H2 chip that allows for improved noise cancellation. They also come with a water-resistant charging case that offers support for Apple’s robust Find My network. Read our review.
If you don’t need active noise cancellation or water resistance, Apple’s second-gen AirPods are down to $99 ($30 off) at Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy. While older, the entry-level earbuds still sound great, offer great ease of use, and remain incredibly reliable. Read our review.
If you’re an Apple user looking for water resistance and better sound quality, however, you can still pick up the third-gen AirPods for around $149 ($20 off) from Amazon and Best Buy with a Lightning charging case. Read our review.
The Beats Fit Pro earbuds have integrated wing tips that help keep them secure during runs and workouts. They also have excellent noise cancellation, and their sound has just the right amount of bass and kick to keep you motivated. Read our review.
You can buy a pair of Jabra’s Elite 4 Active on Amazon for $84.27 (about $35 off) or from Best Buy for $89.99 ($30 off). The noise-canceling earbuds offer an IP57 rating but drop wireless charging and certain features found on the pricier Elite 7 Active.
TheEcho Buds with active noise cancellation are down to just $79.99 ($40 off) at Amazon with a wired charging case (a wireless case will run you $20 more). The last-gen wireless earbuds offer good noise cancellation for the price, along with IPX4 water and sweat resistance and support for hands-free Alexa. Read our review.
You can also buy Amazon’s newEcho Buds, which launched less than a month ago, on sale at Amazon for $39.99 ($10 off). The wireless earbuds lack active noise cancellation but offer support for hands-free Alexa commands in addition to a new semi-open design, one that supposedly will allow for improved comfort.
You can buy a pair of Skullcandy’s Jib True 2 on Amazon starting at $24.99. The wireless earbuds offer a lot of good features for their price, including an IPX4 water resistance rating, good passive noise cancellation, and built-in Tile integration.
Speaker and soundbar deals
The Sonos Arc is the company’s flagship soundbar, offering a plethora of drivers including upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers. This soundbar provides immersive, powerful sound, whether you’re watching movies or enjoying music. Read our review.
The Amazon Echo Studio is on sale for $159.99 ($40 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. While it can’t compete with newer smart speakers from Sonos, it remains Amazon’s best-sounding Alexa smart speaker and can also double as a Dolby Atmos home theater system. Read our review.
The second-gen Google Nest Hub is on sale for $74.99 ($25 off) at The Home Depot and Best Buy. The seven-inch smart display can act as an excellent digital photo frame and comes with a number of great sleep-tracking capabilities. Read our review.
Amazon’s spherical fourth-gen Echo smart speakeris down to $74.99 ($25 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Although it’s from 2020, the Alexa-enabled speaker is still a good buy and offers loud, room-filling sound. Read our review.
Smart display deals
The Echo Show 8 is the midsize smart display in Amazon’s current Echo lineup and can be used to display the weather, news, calendars, grocery lists, and more. You can also use it to control your smart home devices, watch streaming video, or listen to music. It even supports video calling via Zoom and Amazon’s Alexa calling service. Read our review.
If you’re in the market for a Google Assistant smart display that’ll integrate well with your other Google devices, the 10-inchGoogle Nest Hub Maxis on sale for around $189 ($40 off) at The Home Depot and Best Buy. The display offers a great camera you can use to make video calls, one that can recognize whoever is looking at the screen and deliver personalized information. Read our review.
Amazon’s Alexa-equipped Echo Show 15
is on sale for $191.99 ($58 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The wall-mountable smart display features a 15.6-inch touch display that can be used as a family bulletin board or even as a TV of sorts thanks to its Fire TV interface. Read our review.
Outdoor tech and fitness tracker deals
The latest mainline smartwatch from Apple features watchOS 9 along with Crash Detection and temperature sensors that enable menstrual cycle tracking — something you won’t find on any other model. Read our review.
Google’s first in-house smartwatch has a beautiful domed display and native Fitbit integration for health tracking. It comes with six months of Fitbit Premium and three months of YouTube Music.
If you can do without newer features like an always-on display, you can buy the first-gen, GPS-enabled Apple Watch SEstarting at $149 ($130 off) at Walmart. The entry-level wearable lacks blood oxygen monitoring and more advanced sensors but is otherwise a good watch for tracking basic fitness metrics. It’ll also be compatible with the forthcoming watchOS 10, so you’ll be able to use widgets. Read our review.
Speaking of budget-friendly fitness trackers, the last-gen Fitbit Inspire 2 is another good one for tracking basics such as heart rate, steps, and sleep. It’s available for around $59 ($41 off) at Walmart, Target, and Amazon.
Amazfit’s Band 7
is also an excellent budget-friendly fitness tracker that offers a lot of value for the price, including abnormal heart rate notifications, an OLED display, and support for Alexa. Right now, you can buy it for $44.99 ($5 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Read our review.
Although its battery life isn’t as great as that of the Galaxy Watch 5, the Galaxy Watch 4 Classicoffers a rotating bezel you won’t be able to find on any other Galaxy Watch. The 42mm, Bluetooth-enabled configuration is currently available starting at $129 ($221 off) at Walmart. Read our review.
Garmin’s palm-size inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator provides off-the-grid contact with subscription plans starting at $14.95 a month.
You can buy a Coleman Classic Propane Gas Camping Stove, one of our favorite budget-friendly Father’s Day gifts, for $48 ($27 off) at Walmart. The basic stove doesn’t come with an igniter and only features two burners, but it cooks well and features a foldable design that makes it easy to pack into the trunk of a car.
If you’re looking for a more unique wearable, the Oura Ring Gen 3 starts at $359 ($40 off) for the matte black colorway at Best Buy. Note that the price is for the Heritage design, which features a flat bump the more expensive Horizon model lacks. The same design in gold also starts at $409 (also $40 off) at Best Buy. Read our review.
Tablet and e-reader deals
Apple’s entry-level iPad from 2021 has a 10.2-inch screen, A13 Bionic chip, and a 12MP front camera that supports Apple’s Center Stage feature. It’s also compatible with the first-gen Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard and is the only iPad that still has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly tablet, a number of Amazon’s Fire tablets are on sale, including Amazon’s latest Fire HD 10. Compared to its cheaper siblings, the tablet offers a sharp display and good performance. It’s on sale with ads and 32GB of storage for $119.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Read our review.
If you’d like to add wireless charging and some extra RAM, the ad-supported, 32GB Fire HD 10 Plus from 2021 is also available for $149.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Best Buy.
Amazon’s latest Kindle Paperwhite has a 6.8-inch E Ink display with adjustable color temperature for nighttime reading. It also boasts a faster processor, additional battery life, IPX8 waterproofing, and a USB-C port. Read our review.
If you want an even cheaper tablet, Amazon’s 2022 Fire HD 8 Plusis on sale at Amazon and Best Buy in the 32GB configuration with ads for $89.99 ($30 off). Its display isn’t as high-resolution as the latest Fire HD 10’s, but it’s otherwise a decent entertainment device with good battery life. Read our review.
Smart security deals
The Ring Alarm Pro is a great security system, offering everything you need to easily set up your smart home as well as a built-in Eero Wi-Fi router and local storage for videos from Ring cameras. It doesn’t, however, offer 24/7 video recording, and it’s not compatible with Google Home, Apple Home, or IFTTT, either. Read our review.
The battery-powered Ring Stick Up Cam is a 1080p security camera that’s easy to install within minutes and can either stand on a flat surface or be hung up indoors or outdoors. It features support for night vision as well as two-way communication and sends alerts when it detects motion. Right now, it’s available for $69.99 ($30 off) from Best Buy, Target, and Amazon. Read our review.
The battery-poweredRing Video Doorbell is on sale at The Home Depot and Amazon for $69.99 ($30 off). The basic doorbell offers a 1080p camera along with support for motion detection and night vision.
You can buy the budget-friendly Blink Video Doorbell at Amazon and The Home Depot for $35.99 ($24 off). The 1080p camera doesn’t offer bells and whistles like smart alerts or quick replies, but you get all the basics, including motion-activated recording and night vision support.
The Ring Battery Doorbell Plus is a new battery-powered Ring video doorbell with a head-to-toe view you can purchase for $139.99 ($40 off) from Amazon.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is our favorite retrofit door lock, one that is currently on sale for $169.99 ($60 off) at The Home Depot and Amazon. The reliable smart lock comes with Wi-Fi built in and doesn’t require you to get rid of your entire deadbolt.
Gaming deals
The Xbox Elite Series 2 is easily one of our favorite controllers at The Verge. It’s an improvement on the already excellent Elite controller, with deep customization, optional rear paddle buttons, a swappable D-pad, and analog sticks that allow you to tailor its layout to suit your play style. Read our review.
If the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is out of your budget, Microsoft’s standard Xbox Wireless Controller is also on sale. The controller starts at $44 ($16 off) in white and red from Walmart as well as in other colors from Microsoft. While it lacks some premium features like extra customizable buttons, it’s otherwise an excellent controller that feels great to use.
Logitech’s G Fits are gaming-oriented wireless earbuds that mold to the shape of your ears for a custom fit. They feature both Bluetooth 5.2 and 2.4GHz wireless, the latter using a USB-A transmitter for connecting to consoles and PCs.
Retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Target are also offering various video game promos. Right now, for instance, you can buy the physical version of Octopath Traveler II for the PlayStation 5 for $44.99 ($15 off) at Amazon.
Target, meanwhile, is offering a buy two, get one free promotion on select games, books, and other items, which extends to the PS5 versions of Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and many more titles.
Robot vacuum deals
The Roomba j7 is an AI-powered robot vacuum that detects and avoids common robot traps, such as cords, cables, and pet waste. It works with a stylish clean base that will clean the dirt out of its bin so you don’t have to. Read our review.
The j7 Plus is good at avoiding obstacles, features good battery life, and includes an auto-emptying docking station. Additionally, iRobot will replace the vacuum for free if it runs over pet waste within the first year of ownership. Read our review.
If you’d like a more budget-friendly robot vacuum, the iRobot Roomba i3 Evo cleans just as well as the j7 but lacks obstacle avoidance and keep-out zones. You can also buy the iRobot Roomba i3 Plus Evo with an auto-empty base for around $379 instead of its typical list price of $549.99 at Best Buy.
Miscellaneous tech deals
Chipofy’s USB-C cable dons an LED display that shows the wattage being delivered to your gadgets. It can charge at up to 100 watts, too, which is enough for many devices to quickly recharge.
Hoto’s electric screwdriver is perfect for making small to medium-sized repairs around the house. In addition to a USB-C port, the screwdriver comes with a case and 12 steel bits.
You can buy the latest Tile Mate for around $19.79 ($5 off) from Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. The convenient Bluetooth tracker is capable of tracking personal belongings from up to 250 feet away and, unlike Apple’s AirTags, works well with both Android and iOS.
Google’s third-gen Nest Learning Thermostat is down to $199 ($51 off) at The Home Depot. Not only is the smart thermostat capable of learning your habits, but it also features an energy-saving mode that activates when you’re not home.
If you have a MagSafe-compatible iPhone, you can wirelessly power up your smartphone with Apple’s official MagSafe Charger. It offers a maximum of 15 watts of power and is currently available for $31 ($8 off) at Amazon and Walmart.
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