It’s time to kick off another week of deals, and what better way than with promos like a smart speaker hitting its lowest price yet and a new TV getting a nice discount? Amazon’s orb-like Echo Dot is one of the most affordable ways to smarten up your home, and it’s now cheaper than ever before. You can pick up the fourth-gen Echo Dot, which launched in 2020, for just $27.99 at Amazon or Best Buy in black, blue, or white. That price is $22 off its regular price and even beats the discounts we saw around the holidays.
While this little speaker is inexpensive and compact, it supports all the same Alexa voice commands as its pricier counterparts, like setting timers and controlling other devices in Amazon’s ecosystem of smart home devices. Also, as an affordable speaker, it sounds good for listening to music or podcasts — especially if you buy two for a stereo arrangement. Read our review.
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The 2020 Echo Dot features a more spherical design than an actual dot but can still do all the things Alexa does with other Echo models.
Home smart speakers may sound fine, but for a bigger sound that’s portable, you can check out the Bose SoundLink Flex, which is currently $129 ($20 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. This model from Bose was just named the best Bluetooth speaker under $200 by Verge reviewer Chris Welch in our buying guide, and with this nice discount, it’s an even better value than usual.
The Bose SoundLink Flex is ideal for someone who wants a slim and portable battery-operated speaker that doesn’t make many sacrifices on sound quality. It produces a rich, clear sound without muddled bass. Add about 12 hours of battery life and IP67 weather resistance, and you’ve got a recipe for a portable party that can last the day. Check out our Bluetooth speaker buying guide.
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Bose’s newest Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Flex, offers pristine, detailed sound quality with a surprising amount of bass for its size — all in a rugged design that you can take anywhere.
If you’re in need of a controller for Xbox consoles or PC, there are many good options to pick from. For those partial to the traditional PlayStation layout with symmetrical (instead of offset) sticks in the middle, the 8BitDo Pro 2 for Xbox may be the gamepad you should buy. You can pick up this cute controller for just $38.20 at Amazon, which is about $7 off its regular price.
It’s a bit quirky-looking at first, like a cross between a SNES controller and DualShock with an Xbox logo in the middle. But it’s comfortable to use and has an excellent D-pad. This wired controller connects via USB and is usable on Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, and Windows PCs. One of the best parts is that it even has two user-mappable buttons on the rear and more customization options through 8BitDo’s app.
Have you fallen behind on your spring cleaning? The iRobot Roomba J7 robot vacuum can help you catch up, and it’s currently $399 at Amazon. It’s better than most options at this price since it features obstacle avoidance to navigate around items or furniture. What’s more, it can also avoid unwanted presents (read: poop) left on the floor by your pets. The vacuum was fooled by some fake poop in our testing, though iRobot promises to replace the robovac for free in the first year if that happens to you.
This Roomba J7 configuration doesn’t include the self-emptying station (that will run you an extra $200), but it’s the same unit otherwise from an operational standpoint. It provides good battery life, customizable keep-out zones, and it works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and even IFTTT if you like to automate your smart home tech.
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This robovac features obstacle avoidance that allows it to navigate around furniture and even smaller objects that it deems hazardous. Besides cleaning on a set schedule, the j7 can also jump to work via voice commands or the Roomba app.
Samsung’s latest The Frame TV, its art-inspired TV, is $200 off in the 55-inch size at Amazon. This knocks the price of the 55-inch Frame down to $1,297.99 from its regular $1,497.99. We recently saw a similar discount on the smaller 43-inch model right as this TV launched, but now you can save on one with larger screen real estate.
The Frame TV’s appeal is that it can offer a great TV experience while you’re watching and then transition to an art piece. It can display some artwork while in standby mode, elevating your space to feel more like a gallery than just a typical living room. This new 2022 model introduces a matte display to reduce glare and make the artwork look much more convincing. This 55-inch model also supports 4K resolution at a fast 120Hz refresh rate (the smaller 43-inch doesn’t do 120Hz), so you can even game.
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2022 Samsung The Frame TV (55-inch)
The newest model of Samsung’s aesthetically pleasing TV retains the same vivid QLED display as its predecessor but uses a new anti-glare, low-reflection coating dubbed “Matte Display,” which provides images with qualities that resemble actual canvas.
