Ars Technique
It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for another Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a nice discount on Apple’s entry-level MacBook Air, which is currently down to $850 at Best Buy. That’s about $150 off Apple’s MSRP and tied for the lowest price we’ve seen from a major retailer since the laptop briefly dropped to $800 last December.
Note that this deal applies to the MacBook Air model that launched in 2020, not the variant that arrived earlier this year with an updated design and a faster M2 system-on-chip. If money is no object, we now recommend the latter as the best Apple laptop for most people. That said, the M1-based Air is still a good alternative for those who need a Mac but can’t afford the $1,199 starting price of the M2 model. For the money, it’s still very efficient, with excellent battery life, a studio-yet-light design, and a comfortable keyboard and trackpad. Note that the 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD in this entry-level configuration are only suitable for more casual needs. There are still only two USB-C ports, too, and the built-in webcam remains mediocre. But for students or those who just need a laptop for lighter browsing, editing, and day-to-day work, there’s still value at this bargain price. In addition to MacBooks, our roundup also includes a remarkable Humble Game Bundle that includes 10 Resident Evil games, as well as a 50% off coupon for the newest entry in the series, Resident Evil Village, for 30 dollars Not every RE game is a winner: RE4, RE7, the 2019 RE2 remake, and the original 2002 RE remake are all excellent, but we were only lukewarm in Village, and the action-packed outings of RE5 and RE6 they are, let’s say, more of an acquired taste. Still, that’s a big price for most of gaming’s most popular survival horror franchise. If you already own some of these games, you can pay $1 or $10 to get a smaller selection of titles. And as with most Humble packages, a portion of purchases here will help support a charity. In this case, Humble says they will partially go towards Direct Relief and its efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine affected by the ongoing invasion by Russia.
Elsewhere, Dealmaster includes the lowest price we’ve seen for the Apple Watch Series 7, a $50 discount on Microsoft’s Xbox Series S, lower-than-usual prices for 4K TV streamers from Apple and Nvidia’s Shield and various deals on Amazon and Google’s Smart Displays. You can see our full list of offers below.
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Featured offers of the day
- Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch Laptop (M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($925) at Best Buy
- Resident Evil Decades of Horror Bundle (PC) – Includes 10 Games + $30 Coupon ($195) at Humble
- Apple Watch Series 7 Smartwatch (41mm, Green) for $270 ($330) at Best Buy
- Death Stranding (PS4) for $10 ($30) at Best Buy, Amazon ($10 PS5 upgrade, $40 PS5)
- Microsoft Xbox Series S Game Console for $250 ($290) at Adorama (discount in cart)
- Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) 8-inch Smart Display for $85 ($120) at Best Buy
- Google Nest Hub 7-inch Smart Display for $55 ($85) at Target, Best Buy
- Nvidia Shield TV Pro 4K media streaming for $170 ($200) at Amazon, Best Buy
- Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) for $99 ($120) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
- Samsung Pro Plus microSD Card (512GB, U3, V30) for $70 ($76) at Best Buy, Amazon
- Wacom One Drawing Tablet (Small) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy
- $100 Apple Gift Card + $10 Store Gift Card for $100 ($110) at Target, Best Buy
Advertisement Expand / Apple Watch Series 7.
Corey Gaskin
Electronics offers
Expand / Microsoft’s Xbox Series S (left), next to the more powerful Xbox Series X (right).
Sam Machkovech
Expand / Marshall’s Emberton delivers big sound for a compact Bluetooth speaker.
Jeff Dunn
Laptop and desktop deals
- Apple MacBook Air (2020) 13.3-inch Laptop (M1, 2560×1600, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $850 ($925) at Best Buy
- HP Pavilion Aero (13z-be100) 13.3-inch Laptop (Ryzen 5 5625U, 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $646 ($850) at HP (use code: SCHOOLHP5, configure RAM, SSD , view before paying)
- Lenovo Yoga 7i (Gen 7) 16-inch 2-in-1 Laptop (Core i7-1260P, 2560×1600, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) for $860 ($1,050) at Lenovo (use codes: YOGADEALS + BTS2022)
- Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13-inch Tablet (Core i5-1135G7, 2880×1920, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) + Surface Pro Keyboard for $1,000 ($1,250) at Best Buy
- Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2022) 14-inch gaming laptop (Ryzen 9 6900HS, 2560×1600 120Hz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, Radeon RX 6700S GPU) for $1,400 ($1,600 Best Buy)
Expand / Apple’s entry-level MacBook Air doesn’t have the fastest processor or the most modern design of its follow-up, but it’s still a great laptop for those looking to save money, especially at the price of current offer
Lee Hutchinson
- Dell S2721QS 27-inch Monitor (4K, 60 Hz, IPS) for $260 ($320) at Dell, Amazon
- Dell S3422DWG 34-inch Monitor (3440×1440, 144Hz, VA, VRR) for $390 ($460) at Amazon
- Gigabyte M28U 28-inch Monitor (4K, 144Hz, IPS, VRR) for $500 ($575) at Amazon, Best Buy
- Crucial P5 Plus (500GB) PCIe 4.0 SSD for $73 ($83) at Amazon, B&H
- Crucial MX500 (1TB) 2.5-inch SATA SSD for $73 ($90) at B&H (discount in cart)
- Seagate FireCuda 530 (1TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD for $139 ($170) at Amazon, Walmart, B&H
Expand / Microsoft’s Surface Pro 8.
Andrew Cunningham
TV and home entertainment deals
Advertisement Expand / Apple TV 4K with Apple’s improved Siri Remote.
Jeff Dunn
Video game deals
Expand / The action and horror game Resident Evil Village.
Capcom
- Death Stranding (PS4) for $10 ($30) at Best Buy, Amazon ($10 PS5 upgrade, $40 PS5)
- Elden Ring (PS5, PS4, Xbox, pre-owned) for $35 ($40) at GameFly
- Horizon Forbidden West (PS4) for $40 ($60) at Target, Best Buy, PSN (free PS5 upgrade, $50 PS5)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Target, Amazon, Best Buy, PSN
- Gran Turismo 7 (PS5) for $50 ($70) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, PSN (PS4 for $40)
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) for $30 ($40) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
- Demon’s Souls (PS5) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Best Buy, PSN
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) for $40 ($50) at Amazon, Target, Best Buy
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure (PS5, PS4) for $30 ($40) at Target, Best Buy, Amazon
- Iconoclasts (PS4) for $7 ($15) on PSN
Expand / The open world delivery game Death Stranding. Expand / The card-based roguelike Slay the Spire.