Ars Technica
It’s the weekend and that means it’s time for a new Dealmaster. Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes an early discount on Apple’s latest iPad Air, the 64GB version of which costs $570 at Amazon. That’s only a $30 discount, but it’s remarkable considering the tablet only shipped last week. The only caveat is that Amazon is experiencing shipping delays at the time of writing; if you need the device within a few weeks, you’re still better off paying full price from apple. But if you were planning to pick up the tablet anyway and are willing to wait, that’s a nice saving.
We gave the new iPad Air a positive review last week, calling it “the best tablet for most people who can afford it.” While it’s not a major overhaul compared to the previous model, it does upgrade to Apple’s M1 system-on-a-chip, the same SoC used in the iPad Pro and MacBook Air, among other more expensive Apple devices. The result is exceptionally fast, to the point where performance shouldn’t be an issue for years to come. The included USB-C port now also delivers faster transfer speeds, and the front-facing camera is now a 12MP unit (versus 7MP) that supports Apple’s “Center Stage” feature.
The iPad Air’s closest competition still comes from Apple itself. The 11-inch iPad Pro comes with twice as much storage as standard (128GB), better speakers, and a brighter screen that supports a higher 120Hz refresh rate, but it costs about $180 more. The entry-level iPad, meanwhile, is much more affordable at $329 and still performs well for everyday tablet tasks, but it’s generally not as powerful and uses a more dated design. For those willing to pay a little more, the new iPad Air is a strong middle ground: it still has a great screen for media consumption, and when combined with the right accessories, it’s just as powerful as the current iPad Pro for getting more involved work. done.
In addition, our collection also includes a sweeping new “Spring Sale” at the Epic Games PC gaming store. We’ve highlighted our favorite deals from the bunch below, but the sale includes good prizes for former Ars game of the year winners Hades† celeste† and Checkplus other Ars-approved hits like Untitled Goose Game† Horizon Zero Dawn† Kena: Bridge of Ghosts† encryptionand Disco Elysium, among many others. A handful of these deals are also available at other stores like GOG and Humble.
Elsewhere, we’ve got deals on the just-released Switch game Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Amazon Fire HD tablets, recommended noise-canceling headphones and wireless gaming mice, external hard drives, Anker USB-C chargers and much more. You can check out our full curated summary below.
Ars Technica may earn compensation through affiliate programs for sales of links on this post.
Recommended offers of the day
Samuel Axon
Electronics Deals
Jeff Dunn
Jeff Dunn
Laptop and Desktop PC Deals
- WD Elements (14TB) desktop hard drive for $210 †
$245) at Newegg (use code: 93XSR68† - WD Elements (18TB) desktop hard drive for $300 †
$360) at Amazon, B&H - Samsung 980 (1TB NVMe) PCIe 3.0 Internal SSD for $100 †
$110) at Samsung, Amazon, Best Buy - Samsung 970 Evo Plus (2TB NVMe) PCIe 3.0 Internal SSD for $200 †
$220) at Amazon, Best Buy - AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core/12-thread desktop processor for $229 †
$285) at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart - AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12-core/24-thread desktop processor for $449 †
$520) at Amazon, Best Buy - AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-core/32-thread desktop processor for $590 †
$710) at Amazon - Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Titanium Yoga 13.5-inch 2-in-1 Laptop (Core i7-1160G7, 2256 x 1504, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) for $1,189 †
$1,500) at Lenovo (use code: TITAN OFFER† - Gigabyte G34WQC 34-inch gaming monitor (3440×1440, 144 Hz, VA, FreeSync) for $390 †
$420) at Amazon, Best Buy
Jim Salter
TV and home entertainment deals
- LG C1 (2021) 55-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,197 †
$1,355) at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy - LG C1 (2021) 65-inch 4K OLED TV for $1,650 †
$1,825) at Woot - Hisense U6G (2021) 65″ 4K LED TV for $550 †
$640) at Best Buy, Walmart - Sony X90J (2021) 65″ 4K LED TV for $1,098 †
$1,240) at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart
Jeff Dunn
gaming offers
Video Game Deals
- Epic Games Spring Sale: Several PC Games Discounted At Epic
- encryption (PC) for $14 †
$19) at GOG, Humble, Epic - Disco Elysium – The Final Cut (PC) for $16 †
$30) at GOG, Epic - Hades (PC) for $16 †
$20) at Epic (also on Game Pass) - The door of death (PC, PS5, PS4) for $14 †
$19) on GOG, Humble, Epic, PSN (also on Game Pass) - The messenger (PC) for $8 †
$15) at GOG, Humble, Epic - Control: Ultimate Edition (PC) for $12 †
$20) at GOG, Epic - monkey out (PC) for $5 †
$10) at GOG, Humble, Epic - Walk Hero (PC) for $7 †
$12) at GOG, Humble, Epic
Devolver Digital
Panic
- Bravely Default II (PC) for $36 †
$55) at Humble, Steam - Axiom Verge (PC) for $6 †
$15) at Epic - bugsnax (PC) for $15 †
$25) at Epic - The Talos Principle (PC) for $4 †
$15) at Humble - Ver: Lone Sails (Xbox, PC) for $3 †
$10) at Xbox, GOG - celeste (Xbox, PC) for $5 †
$15) at Xbox, Epic - Night in the forest (Xbox) for $10 †
$20) at Xbox - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – GOTY Edition (Xbox) for $30 †
$40) at Xbox - Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition (Xbox, PS4) for $20 †
$30) at Xbox, PSN - It takes two (Xbox, PS4, PC) for $16 †
$25) at Amazon, Xbox, PSN, Steam (also on Game Pass)
- Legendary Mass Effect Edition (Xbox, PS4, PC) for $25 †
$35) at Target, Amazon, PSN (also on Game Pass) - Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (PS4, Xbox, PC) for $20 †
$30) at Best Buy, Xbox, Epic - Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience (PS4) for $4 †
$15) at PSN ($7 at Xbox) - Castlevania Anniversary Collection (PS4) for $4 †
$15) at PSN ($5 at Xbox) - Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch) for $55 †
$60) at Amazon, Walmart (discount in cart) - Kill the spire (Switch) for $10 †
$20) on Nintendo eShop (also on Game Pass) - Within (Switch) for $3 †
$15) on the Nintendo eShop ($5 at Xbox, GOG, Epic) - Horizon Chase Turbo (switch, PC) for $5 †
$15) on Nintendo eShop, Epic - Mark of the Ninja: Remastered (Switch) for $5 †
$15) on Nintendo eShop
Corey Gaskin
