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The nice thing about the entry-level M2-powered MacBook Air is the fact it’s relatively affordable (for a Mac, of course). But that lower price tag comes with a drawback: it’s just not powerful enough for more demanding creative work. Thankfully, today’s $500 discount on the 14-inch MacBook Pro means you can buy a laptop that’s an absolute powerhouse for content creation at what’s closer to an entry-level price for the M2 Air.
Right now, the M1 Pro-equipped laptop is on sale at Best Buy with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,599 ($400 off), which is just $100 more than buying an M2-equipped MacBook Air with 512GB of storage and half the RAM. What’s more, the 14-inch MacBook Pro supports up to two external displays as opposed to one, while offering a nicer Mini LED screen and better battery life. And while not as speedy as the new M2-equipped MacBook Pros, the M1 Pro model from 2021 still blazing fast and — at this price — also a lot cheaper.
14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Pro chip (16GB RAM / 512GB SSD)
$199920% off
The 14-inch MacBook Pro is a stellar laptop in many ways, with a brilliant display, a great keyboard, fast specs, and several useful ports.
Alternatively, if the MacBook Pro is too expensive and you don’t require all that power, Apple’s M2-powered Mac Mini is down to $699.99 ($100 off) at Amazon. That’s a new all-time low on this particular configuration, which offers 512GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, an eight‑core CPU, and a 10‑core GPU.
Overall, the new Mini is faster than its M1-equipped predecessor and is a good desktop for everyday computing needs with enough power to tackle even some light video work. It also touts future-proof specs like Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, along with HDMI 2.0 output, an ethernet port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and other ports. Just be mindful that you’ll have to supply your own monitor, keyboard, and mouse as the Mac Mini doesn’t come with these. Read our review of the M2 Pro-powered Mac Mini.
Mac Mini with M2 chip (8GB RAM / 512GB SSD)
The M2-powered Mac Mini is a fast desktop suitable for everyday work while touting perks like an HDMI 2.0 output and an ethernet jack capable of gigabit speeds.
If it’s a decent pair of noise-canceling wireless earbuds you’re after, you can currently grab Amazon’s second-gen Echo Buds with a wireless charging case for $99.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which is just $10 shy of their all-time low. You can also buy them with a wired charging case for $79.99 ($40 off) at Amazon and Target.
For the price, the earbuds offer a solid combination of good sound quality and effective noise cancellation, with perks like an excellent passthrough mode for when you need to hear your surroundings. Their noise cancellation may not be on par with more premium earbuds like Sony’s WF-1000XM4, but they’re still able to reduce noise well enough. Plus, they support hands-free Alexa commands, so you can make music requests and control smart home devices with just your voice.
Amazon Echo Buds (second-gen)
$12033% off
Amazon’s second-gen Echo Buds improve upon the originals with a more comfortable design, improved ANC, and a more natural ambient sound mode. They support hands-free Alexa commands as well.
We’ve got a good deal for Nintendo Switch lovers who travel often and like to hook up their console to a TV or other large screen. Right now, you can buy the Genki Covert Dock for $59.99 ($15 off) from Genki. The accessory is like a pocketable version of the standard Switch dock, so you can easily carry it on the go, yet it also comes with multiple ports. That includes a single 30W USB-C PD port as well as outputs for USB-C and HDMI. To top it all off, the dock also comes with three international adapters.
Genki Covert Dock
Designed for anyone that likes to play their Switch hooked up to a larger screen, the Genki Covert Dock takes all the functions of the regular standard Switch dock and compresses them to the size of a regular AC adapter. The dock includes outputs for USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI hookups.
If the Xbox One or Series X/S is your primary gaming console and you’re looking for a new controller, 8BitDo’s Pro 2 Wired Controller for Xbox and PC is down to $39.99 ($5 off) at Amazon. That’s a small discount but one of the better prices we’ve seen on the pro-grade controller, which offers many of the same features as the wireless model we reviewed for the Nintendo Switch, including a pair of remappable buttons on the back. You can also customize the controller’s vibration, trigger, and stick sensitivity via an app for Android or iOS, and there’s a 3.5mm port you can use to connect your headphones or headset.
8BitDo Pro 2 Wired Controller
$4511% off
8BitDo’s wired controller for Xbox consoles and PC is customizable with remappable buttons.
A few more deals to start the weekend right
- The physical edition of Super Mario Odyssey is currently on sale for around $37 ($23 off) at Best Buy and Walmart. That makes today’s deal on the 2017 Nintendo Switch classic even cheaper than the deal we saw during Mario Day last week.
- Sonos is still selling a number of refurbished products, including the Sonos Arc SL for $679 ($170 off the price you’d pay if purchased new). The SL edition is the mic-less version of the Sonos Arc, a home theater soundbar that pairs well with newer 4K TVs but also functions as a terrific music speaker.
- Apple’s Leather iPhone Wallet with MagSafe is discounted to just $26.99 ($32 off) at Woot right now in multiple colorways. The wallet can store up to three credit cards and features built-in magnets so you can snap it onto iPhone 12 and newer models.
- You can buy Amazon’s Echo Show 15 for around $194.95 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Kohl’s. The smart display offers a large screen that mounts onto your wall and can double as a Fire TV streaming device, although you’ll need to buy a remote separately.
